Return to Soul Society
by Allen the Musician
Summary: Sequel to Reincarnation. Now seventeen years of age Toushirou Kurosaki finds himself at a crossroads. He knows for certain that his life will never be the same but what is less obvious is how he will progress from this moment on.
1. Shinigami Once More

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach nor am I making any profit from this, just borrowing the characters for my own amusement.

A/N- This is a sequel to my fic Reincarnation and continues the adventures of Shiro, Kasumi, Kaien and Masaki.

Chapter One - Shinigami Once More

Feeling completely and utterly ridiculous seventeen year old Toushirou Kurosaki left his bedroom and made his way downstairs to the den where his mother and two younger siblings were. All eyes focused on the young man as he stepped into the room, blushing furiously. Shiro was dressed in a black tuxedo, complete with ice blue vest and matching bow tie, and he was completely miserable. It still amazed him the things that he let his best friend talk him into doing.

"I can't believe she actually managed to talk me into this," Shiro muttered as he once again adjusted the tie that he wore around his neck. He had always hated dressing formally and couldn't imagine why anyone would willingly put a noose around their neck.

"Here Shiro-chan," Rukia said with a sigh, getting to her feet and fixing the tie that Shiro had managed to mess up in the span of about ten seconds. She soon had it back to the way it was supposed to look and she gave her son a meaningful look. "Now leave it alone."

Shiro groaned under his breath but made no move to loosen the tie again. He knew that such a move would only serve to get him into trouble and he was uncomfortable enough as it was without having to listen to a lecture from his mother.

"Nii-san," six year old Kaien said from the spot on the floor where he was playing with his twin sister Masaki. "You look weird."

"I know," Shiro muttered under his breath, once again resisting the urge to pull at the tie that he wore around his neck. The boy clenched his hands into fists so that he could better fight that urge.

"So why you dressed like that?" Masaki asked, gazing up at Shiro with a confused expression in her big, violet eyes.

Shiro shook his head, completely at a loss as to how to explain the situation to his younger siblings. He was dressed this way because Kasumi had asked it of him and, despite how much he might want to, he found himself unable to deny her. The very thought of making her sad caused an ache in his heart that he just couldn't explain but felt none the less.

"Now Kaien," Rukia said, speaking to her younger son but eying the elder boy. "Your brother doesn't look weird." She offered Shiro a wide smile. "I think you look very handsome Shiro-chan."

The compliment from his mother, although meant to put his mind at ease, only served to increase Shiro's embarrassment over the situation and the flush that was coloring his face deepened in color. "Well," he said after clearing his throat. "I guess I should go and pick up Kasumi. As much as I'd love to forget about this whole thing I'm not sure that she'd ever forgive me if I did."

"Have fun," Rukia called out as her son made his way toward the front door.

"Yea right," Shiro called out over his shoulder.

"I expect the two of you to come here afterward," Rukia practically shouted as her son opened the door and prepared to step outside. "I want pictures."

"Okay," Shiro shouted, stepping outside and quickly closing the door behind himself before his mother had the chance to shout something else at him. The boy took a deep breath and then began the familiar journey to the Ishida residense.

The trip didn't take long and before Shiro knew it he was standing at Kasumi's front door. At this point the boy was once again forced to resist the urge to run far and run fast however he managed to once again fight off this urge. Taking yet another deep breath Shiro raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door. A few moments passed, during which Shiro studied the ground intently, and then the door opened to reveal Kasumi's father.

"Hello Ishida-san," Shiro said politely as he raised his gaze to meet Uryu's. "Is Kasumi ready to go?"

"I don't think so," Uryu replied, eyeing the boy who had came to escort his daughter to a dance at her high school. "But you can come in and wait for her in the den Toushirou."

Inwardly Shiro groaned, not having desired to spend time with Kasumi's father, however he nodded and then followed Uryu into the house, closing the door behind himself. He followed Kasumi's father into the den and sat down on the sofa that Uryu gestured toward.

Uryu sat down on a chair facing the white-haired teen, his gaze intense. "So what are your intentions with my daughter tonight?"

_"You have got to be kidding me?" _Shiro thought to himself, resisting the urge to groan at the absurdity of this situation. He'd been friends with Kasumi for nearly as long as he could remember and yet now her dad was deciding to give him the 'date lecture'. This was beyond disturbing. "I intend to go to this stupid dance with her. End of story."

Uryu thought about the boy's response for a minute before nodding. "Alright but just remember Toushirou, I know where you live."

"DAD!" a voice called out from across the room.

Shiro's gaze shifted toward his best friend and his jaw dropped as his gaze fell upon her. Kasumi was dressed in a teal princess style gown that was an exact match for his eyes and she had her hair pulled up in an elegant style with little tendrils left to frame her pretty face.

"So what do you think Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked as her mother stepped into the room behind her. She did a little pirrouette in place so that he could get the full affect.

Orihime recalled a similar exchange between the two kids when they were nine years old and could only hope that Shiro had a better answer now than he'd had at the time. If he gave her the same answer this time then it was likely that he wouldn't get a third chance.

"I have one word for you," Shiro said as he stepped across the room and came to stand beside her.

"And what might that be?" Kasumi asked, one eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"Wow."

_"Good answer Shiro-kun," _Orihime thought to herself with a smile. _"There just might be some hope for you yet."_

Suddenly remembering something that he'd brought along with him Shiro reached into his pocket and pulled a small box from it's depths. The white-haired teen opened the box and pulled from it a small corsage comprised of several small flowers.

"Oh Shiro-chan, it's gorgeous," Kasumi exclaimed as she allowed him to tie the corsage around her wrist. Then she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Shiro said in a quiet voice, his face flushing red once again.

"So are you ready to go?" Kasumi asked, a radiant smile lighting up her pretty face.

"As ready as I'm ever gonna be," Shiro muttered, offering Kasumi his arm.

Her blue eyes dancing Kasumi wrapped her arm in his and the two teens turned toward the door however they were halted when Orihime jumped in front of them. "Oh no you don't," she exclaimed as she barred their path toward the door. "Not until I've taken pictures. You both look absolutely stunning."

_"Here we go again," _Shiro thought to himself as he was once again forced to pose for pictues that would at some point be shown to every person that he knew. _"This is so embarrassing."_

"Come on Shiro-kun," Orihime said. "Smile for the camera."

Kasumi gave his hand a gentle squeeze and Shiro was forced to smile despite himself. There was just something about her touch that sent electricity coursing through his veins.

"That's more like it," Orihime said once she'd taken a half dozen photographs. "Okay you guys are free to go. Have fun."

"Thanks Mom," Kasumi called out as she and Shiro departed.

The two teens walked the short distance to Karakura High School and Kasumi led the way to the gymnasium, which had been colorfully decorated for the formal dance. Shiro was still somewhat reluctant however he followed Kasumi's lead without protest. It's not as though struggling would really accomplish anything. Kasumi would still get her way and he would still be miserable so it simply wasn't worth the effort.

"Kasumi-chan!" a feminine voice called out excitedly.

Kasumi and Shiro both turned and watched as a group of girls ran toward them, their faces alight with excitement. One of the girls, the apparent leader of the group, seized Kasumi by the hand and began pulling her away.

Kasumi turned apologizing eyes toward Shiro. "Sorry Shiro-chan, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Shiro shrugged. "Whatever."

Kasumi allowed herself to be dragged across the room and then she turned toward her captors and placed her hands on her hips. "What exactly is your problem?"

"That boy," the leader of the group of girls, Kohana, said in a breathless voice. She glimpsed back at the spot where Shiro was standing, looking completely and utterly bewildered, before she turned her attention back to Kasumi. "He's absolutely gorgeous and he doesn't go to school with us. Where did you find him?"

"Shiro-chan?" Kasumi said in confusion, glancing back toward her best friend. "He's been my best friend since we were little."

"Then why haven't we ever seen him?" Mika demanded.

Kasumi shrugged. "I haven't a clue except for the fact that he's been out of school for four years."

"But that would make him. . ." Kohana began, attemting to do the math in her head, however Kasumi cut her off. "Shiro-chan's seventeen, the same as me. He graduated when he was thirteen. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to get back to my date before he decides that now is a good time to make a break for it. See ya."

This said Kasumi turned away from the group of girls and made her way back over to the spot where Shiro was still standing. When she reached him Kasumi wrapped her arm around his and smiled at him.

"What was that all about?" Shiro asked, a confused expression in his blue-green eyes.

"Just girl talk," Kasumi said with another smile. "Now come on. I didn't drag you all the way here just to stand around and watch everyone else have a good time. Come on."

Shiro sighed and reluctantly allowed Kasumi to pull him out onto the dance floor. "Ugh, once again I can't believe I let her talk me into doing this."

* * *

During the course of the night Kasumi forced Shiro to dance with her several times and as the dance was winding down she pulled her reluctant best friend out onto the nearly deserted dance floor for one final slow dance. Kasumi wrapped her arms around Shiro and held him tight as the soft music filled the air around them. This night had been almost perfect and Kasumi was content in Shiro's arms. With a deep sigh she placed her head on his shoulder.

Suddenly there was a deep rumbling noise and the ground began to shake violently. Kasumi clutched Shiro tightly as the two teens fought to maintain their balance. Screams tore through the air as the building trembled in the midst of a violent earthquake and through the noise of the frantic students Shiro heard a creaking sound. The teen glanced up just in time to see the beam falling.

Pushing Kasumi to the ground Shiro threw his body on top of hers, to shield her from the falling debris that was too close to dodge. He simply wasn't fast enough in his human form.

* * *

"Ow," Shiro moaned as he got to his feet. "Well that was mildly painful."

The boy glanced down at himself, to make sure that he wasn't injured, and saw that he was now wearing his shihakusho as well as his zanpaktou. Shiro groaned as he realized what this meant. He hadn't used his Gikongan to assume his Shinigami form which meant that he had died.

Glancing around the gymnasium Shiro saw that the earthquake had caused complete devastation. There were cries from the wounded and Shiro's thoughts immediately shifted to Kasumi. Glancing around frantically he searched for any sign of his best friend.

"Wow," a familiar voice spoke up. "That was rough and I think we're dead now Shiro-chan."

"Oh thank goodness you're. . ." Shiro began however his voice trailed off as he noticed what she was wearing. Instead of the teal princess style dress that she'd been wearing before she was now dressed in what could only be described as a reverse shihakusho. Where his was black hers was white and where his was white hers was black. It was weird.

"What the hell?" Shiro said, gaping at his best friend in total shock. "You look like a Hollow."

"I do not!" Kasumi snapped, annoyed that her best friend would say something like that and now of all times. They'd just died and she was still reeling from that discovery and Shiro has to go and say something like that.

"Whatever you say," Shiro said.

"Look at this place," Kasumi said in a small voice as she gazed around the destroyed gymnasium.

"I know," Shiro said as he pulled Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he was wearing secured across his back. He and Kasumi weren't the only ones who had perished during the earthquake and he knew that he had to perform Konso on the souls who were standing around looking shocked and bewildered.

The young Shinigami quickly dispatched the other three people who had lost their lives and then he returned to the spot where his best friend was standing. "Come on Kasumi," he said as he reached out for her hand. "We have to go to Soul Society."

"But Shiro-chan," Kasumi said. "Aren't you going to tell your parents what happened?"

"There's no point," Shiro replied. "They'll find out soon enough and it's not as though anything's really changed."

"Then what about my parents?" Kasumi persisted, staring into her best friend's blue-green eyes. "Things have definately changed for us. Don't you think we should go and tell them?"

"Oh hell no!" Shiro exclaimed, staring at his friend as though she'd completely lost her mind. "Do I look suicidal to you? If we go and tell him then he'll automatically assume that it's somehow my fault and then he'll kill me. Twice in one day is a bit much and I have no desire to be reincarnated again. Someone might screw it up and I just can't go through that again."

Kasumi debated arguing the point further however she decided that it wasn't a good idea under the circumstances and merely followed Shiro out of the gym. As they walked the two teens heard the sounds of sirens and knew that help was on the way for those who had survived the earthquake.

"Besides," Shiro said in a quiet voice as he led his best friend away from the scene of destruction. "They need to have a normal reaction when they're informed that their children have died in an earthquake. If we tell them that we're dead then the shock value will be gone."

"Oh," Kasumi said now in full understanding as to Shiro's motives for keeping their deaths a secret from their parents. "I understand."

A/N- and thus ends the first chapter of Shiro's sequel. Poor Shiro and Kasumi, killed at a high school dance, that would really suck. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	2. Explanation

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach however the plot and the OCs are mine

Chapter Two - Explanation

Head Captain Ukitake was seated at his desk, completely lost in thought, when he heard a soft knock on his office door. Slightly curious as to who his visitor might be, and hoping that the news they brought would not be bad, Ukitake called out, "Come in."

The door of the office slid open slowly and the Squad Three Captain, Natsumi Erisawa, stepped inside. She bowed respectfully to the Head Captain and then approached the desk.

"Natsumi," Ukitake said, offering her a smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Captain Erisawa took a deep breath, as thought steeling herself for what she was about to say, and then spoke in a quiet voice. "I wish to resign my post as Captain of Squad Three. I've tried my best but I simply cannot deal with the stress any longer. I know that this is highly unusual but I don't want to be in charge any more. I'd rather have a normal life."

Ukitake thought about her words for a few moments and then he nodded. "I understand. I really hate to lose you as a Captain but I don't want you to continue to do something that's making you unhappy. There's a position available in the Kidou Corp if you're interested."

Erisawa's face actually lit up at the prospect and she was grateful that the Head Captain was such an understanding man. "Yes sir, I would like that very much."

"Good," Ukitake said, offering her another smile. "I'll draw up the papers for the transfer immediately."

"Thank you so much Head Captain Ukitake."

"You're welcome." Ukitake watched as Erisawa left her office and then he sighed. "And now I'm short a Captain."

__________________________________________________________________________________

Shiro led the way down the sidewalk, away from the high school that was now surrounded by emergency personnel, with Kasumi following along silently behind him. The girl still seemed to be stunned over their rather untimely deaths and Shiro thought it best to just leave her to her thoughts for awhile. She needed time to come to terms with what had happened, after all it was more of a change for her than it was for him.

Once the two teens had traveled a short distance away from the scene of destruction Shiro held up his hands and summoned a Senkaimon. This was a neat little trick that he'd only recently discovered that he could do. When the portal to Soul Society appeared before them Shiro took Kasumi by the hand and led her through.

As soon as the two teens arrived in Soul Society Shiro led the way across the Seireitei toward the Squad One barracks. The trip took virtually no time at all and when they arrived at Ukitake's office Shiro thrust the door open without even bothering to knock.

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi hissed, pausing at the door. She was hesitant to enter the office of the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads unannounced but at the same time she felt like a complete idiot just standing around outside.

Shiro on the other hand had absolutely no reservations. He walked across the Head Captain's office and threw himself down on the sofa that was situated in the center of the room. Kasumi poked her head around the door frame, sighed heavily, and then scampered across the office to join her best friend. Better for the two of them to get into trouble together than for her to stand outside alone and look like a fool.

Ukitake eyed the young girl's rather unusual outfit for a moment before he turned his attention to Shiro. "Is there something that I can help you with Toushirou?"

Shiro remained silent, as though he hadn't heard the question posed to him by the Head Captain.

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi said in a whisper, elbowing her best friend in the ribs. "Tell him what happened."

"Is there something that I should know about Toushirou?" Ukitake asked, rising from his chair and walking over to join the two teens in the center of the office.

Shiro took a deep breath and then gazed at the Head Captain. "Okay first of all I just want you to know that this is in no way my fault."

Ukitake didn't like where this conversation was going. They weren't getting off to a very good start and that fact concerned him somewhat. "Tell me what happened."

"Kasumi and I went to a school dance," Shiro said, casting a glance in Kasumi's direction before he focused his gaze back on the face of the Head Captain. "Which I didn't want to do and there was an earthquake, which I didn't cause."

Ukitake shook his head as the appearance of the two teens in Soul Society suddenly made perfect sense. "Let me guess, you died didn't you?"

Shiro nodded. "And it was NOT my fault. Apparently the universe is conspiring against me."

"So did you tell your parents what happened?" Ukitake asked.

"Uh, no," Shiro replied rolling his eyes at the thought of informing his parents of his own death. "That's someone else's job. And before you even ask, we didn't tell Kasumi's parents either. I DO NOT want to be reincarnated again. Didn't exactly work out so well for me the last time and I can only imagine how it might get screwed up a second time."

"Alright," Ukitake said. "You two can hang out at Squad Ten until I figure out exactly what to do about this situation."

"Okay," Shiro said as he jumped to his feet, pulling Kasumi along with him. "But just remember, people know I died so you can't send me back to Squad Five."

"Try not to sound so happy about that fact Toushirou," Ukitake chastised.

"Now Dad'll have to do his own paperwork for a change," Shiro said with a smirk, enjoying the thought. "Or else teach Kaien and Masaki to do it. Either way it doesn't involve me so I don't really care one way or the other."

Ukitake shook his head, thinking to himself that Shiro's suggestion would more than likely become reality in a few years.

"Oh hey," Shiro said as a sort of an after thought. "Can you explain why Kasumi looks like a Hollow?"

"I DO NOT look like a Hollow!" Kasumi snapped, glaring daggers at her best friend.

"The shihakusho is likely a result of the fact that Kasumi can already manipulate her reiatsu and is thus really close to being a Shinigami," Ukitake explained, a thoughtful expression on his face as he stared at the girl wearing the reverse shihakusho. "And the color likely means that she retained her Quincy powers after death."

"Oh," Shiro said, then added, "She still looks like a Hollow."

"Can you please tell me why he keeps saying that?" Kasumi asked, turning pleading eyes toward the Head Captain.

"Sorry," Ukitake said. "But you'll have to get Toushirou to explain it to you."

Kasumi sighed as she allowed Shiro to pull her from the office. She'd really hoped that Ukitake would tell her since getting the information from Shiro would more than likely not be easy.

Ukitake watched as the two teens left his office and then he returned to his desk. "Well this may have solved one of my problems."

__________________________________________________________________________________

Ichigo was sitting at his desk in the upstairs office that he shared with his vice-captain and wife Rukia when he heard the sound of someone knocking on the front door downstairs. With a sigh the Squad Five Captain got to his feet and made his way to the door. Since he was the only one home he had no choice but to answer the door however that didn't mean that he had to be happy about it.

When Ichigo reached the door he pulled it open and came face to face with a uniformed police officer. "Kurosaki-san?" the man asked.

"Yes," Ichigo said, vaguely wondering whether Shiro had finally managed to get himself arrested.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this sir," the man said, his face stoic and yet his eyes revealing compassion. "But your son Toushirou was killed when an earthquake hit Karakura High School. I'm sorry."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. He'd felt the earthquake earlier but hadn't given it a second thought. Forcing himself to put on the face of a grieving father, which wasn't that difficult since he really was sad that Shiro had lost his life in such a manner, Ichigo nodded. "I understand."

The police officer bowed respectfully and then walked away.

As soon as the police officer was out of sight Ichigo left his house and quickly made his way across Karakura Town to the small clinic that his dad owned and operated. Rukia and the twins were visiting Isshin and he knew that they would all want to know what happened.

However, as it turned out, Rukia had already recieved word of the earthquake and Ichigo met her and the twins about halfway between their house and the Kurosaki Clinic. "Ichigo," Rukia exclaimed as soon as she saw him. "There was an earthquake at the school where Shiro and Kasumi went to a dance."

"I know," Ichigo said in a quiet voice, thinking that his dad must have gotten victims from the quake. "Rukia, Shiro was killed."

Rukia gasped, a mental image of her eldest son appearing in her mind. While she knew that her son would just become a Shinigami due to his death she couldn't keep herself from feeling sad for him. Shiro was only seventeen and hadn't deserved to lose his life at such a young age.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"Toushirou," Kasumi said to her friend as he practically dragged her across the Seireitei toward the Squad Ten barracks. "You have got to tell me why you think I look like a Hollow. My clothes are just like yours except for the fact that they're white."

"And the fact that they're white is exactly why you look like a Hollow," Shiro said without missing a beat.

"But I don't get it," Kasumi said.

"I'll tell you about it later," Shiro said as they reached the door of the Squad Ten Captain's office. Reaching out he knocked lightly on the door a couple of times and then stepped back and waited.

"What's up with that?" Kasumi asked eyeing her friend in confusion. "You didn't knock when you barged into the Head Captain's office so why now?"

"Ukitake's office is safe," Shiro replied as he heard a feminine voice from inside call out for them to enter. "Ran-san is a completely different story. I'd be afraid to barge in on her unannounced. You never know what you might see."

Now this wasn't strictly true as Shiro had actually entered the office several times unannounced however Kasumi didn't know this fact and his answer sounded better.

Thinking about the way the Squad Ten Captain wore her shihakusho Kasumi privately didn't think that there was a whole lot left to see however she didn't voice this opinion out loud. She merely followed her best friend into the office.

"Hey Shiro-chan," Matsumoto called out from her spot at her desk.

"Hey Ran-san," Shiro said as he and Kasumi made their way across the office toward the spot where she was sitting. The boy glanced down at the stack of papers that was positioned in front of her and then his gaze shifted back to the Squad Ten Captain. "Are you actually doing your paperwork Matsumoto?"

"Yes," Matsumoto said, sounding slightly offended. "And don't sound so surprised."

"Sorry," Shiro said although he sounded less than apologetic. "It's just that you know I have Hitsugaya's memories and it's hard to reconcile those with what I'm seeing now."

"That's mean," Matsumoto and Kasumi both said.

"Mean or not it's the truth," Shiro said.

"So what exactly are you doing here anyway Shiro-chan?" Matsumoto asked, wanting to shift the topic of conversation away from her days as a vice-captain.

"Head Captain Ukitake sent us here until he figures out what to do with us," Shiro replied as he walked over to the sofa and threw himself down upon it. Kasumi quickly followed his lead and sat down beside her best friend.

"What are you talking about?" Matsumoto asked, her voice filled with confusion.

"Oh didn't you know?" Shiro said, even though he knew full well that there was no way that she could have known. "Kasumi and I died today. I'm a real Shinigami again."

"That's wonderful!" Matsumoto exclaimed, jumping to her feet and running over to the spot where the white-haired teen was sitting. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Now you can. . ."

"I'm not taking over Squad Ten," Shiro told her as he extricated himself from her grasp, watching as the smile melted from her face. She'd been trying to find a way to give him Squad Ten for several years now and he never tired of bursting her bubble. It was cruel, he knew, but it was just so entertaining.

"Why not?" Matsumoto wanted to know.

"I'm not qualified to be a captain," Shiro said. "And besides, like I said before, the job's just too boring."

Matsumoto sighed. "Fine, be that way. Meanie."

"I know," Shiro said, completely unphased by her words. He'd been called much worse in his life and was content to let her call him what she would.

"So Kasumi-chan," Matsumoto said, turning her attention to the young girl who was sitting so quietly beside Shiro. "Are you going to be a Shinigami as well?"

"Head Captain Ukitake seems to think so," Kasumi replied. "But he also thinks that I've kept my Quincy powers which is really weird since if I become a Shinigami then I'll be both and, with the exception of Shiro and I and his dad and my dad, Quincy and Shinigami hate one another. This is so not supposed to happen."

"Yea well that happens more often than you'd think," Shiro muttered. "And I guess the next time I tell you that we shouldn't go somewhere you'll listen to me."

"Don't count on it Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, elbowing him in the ribs.

"So Toushirou," Matsumoto said. "How exactly did you manage to get the two of you killed? Must have taken some work for it to cost both of you your lives."

"It wasn't my fault!" Shiro snapped, gazing at Matsumoto through narrowed eyes. "It was an earthquake. I controlled myself through that damn dance, there wasn't so much as one icicle the entire time we were there."

Matsumoto laughed at the boy's indignation.

A/N - hope you enjoyed this second chapter. please review and share with me your thoughts. til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	3. New Captain

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

A/N - for those of you who read Reincarnation, and I hope it's everyone since this is a sequel, and wanted to see Shiro become a captain this chapter should make you happy.

Chapter Three - New Captain

"Come on Kasumi," Shiro called out impatiently, turning back to see what exactly was taking his best friend so long. If they didn't get a move on then they would be late and that would simply not be acceptable. He'd been looking forward to this since that fateful evening when he and his best friend had attended a high school dance and lost their lives and he didn't want to miss the fun because Kasumi was taking her sweet time.

"Toushirou," Kasumi said, placing her hands on her hips and gazing over at him with an exasperated expression in her clear blue eyes. "I can't believe you want to go to your own wake."

"It's your wake too," Shiro said, not understanding why she didn't want to go. He happened to think that it was incredibly amusing to be able to attend your own funeral and had no intention of missing the opportunity. After all, it wouldn't present itself again.

"I know that," Kasumi said, fully aware that their parents were holding a duel wake for the two of them. Two families showing support for one another after the tragic loss of their children. Or at least that was what they wanted to portray to everyone who didn't know what had actually happened to the two teens. "But that doesn't make me want to be there. Besides, in case you've forgotten, I'm supposed to start classes at the Academy today."

"Oh come on," Shiro said. Shaking his head he walked over to the spot where she was standing, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the door. "It's not as though seventy-five percent of the people there won't be able to see us anyway. I went to that stupid dance with you, which got us killed by the way, so you can do this for me. And I promise we'll be back in plenty of time for you to make it to class on time. Not that you really need to be there on the first day anyway. Take it from someone who's been there, all they do is talk and it's boring."

_"I can't believe he's trying to equate going to a formal with attending our own wake," _Kasumi thought to herself but none the less allowed him to pull her along. She would go because if she didn't then Shiro would never let the matter drop but that didn't mean that she had to be happy about it.

Together Shiro and Kasumi left Soul Society and made their way to the world of the living. Then, once they were back in Karakura Town, the two teens made their way to the Ishida residense where their memorial service was being held.

"This is so weird," Kasumi muttered as she opened the back door and led the way into the living room, which was crowded with people who had came to pay their last respects to the two teens. And at one end of the room, on top of a table, was a photograph draped in black.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Shiro exclaimed as his eyes fell upon the picture that their parents had chosen. It was the one that Orihime had taken the day that he and Kasumi had died, the picture of the two of them dressed up for that stupid dance.

As she too gazed over at the picture Kasumi smiled for the first time that day. "Aww I really like that picture. I'm going to have to get Mom to give me a copy."

"Ugh," Shiro groaned, shaking his head.

Ichigo and Rukia were standing in the center of the room, along with Uryu and Orihime, when the Captain of Squad Five caught sight of the two teens who had just entered the room. "Oh I don't believe this," he muttered to himself as he left his spot and made his way across the room toward his son. "What are you doing here?" he hissed as he gazed at Shiro.

Shiro shrugged. "I thought it would be fun."

"Fun," Ichigo repeated, shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course you did."

"Hey, I had to make sure that people were appropriately sad over my death," Shiro said in his own defense. Then he waved his hands. "Just pretend that I'm not here and go about your business."

Ichigo sighed and walked back over to the spot where his wife and their best friends were standing, once more shaking his head in disbelief. Leave it to his son to not only attend his own wake but to also drag his deceased best friend along. _"You know," _Ichigo thought to himself as he gazed at his son. _"It's really hard to act appropriately sad when he's over there making faces."_

* * *

"Well that was surprisingly boring," Shiro muttered after all of the people had departed the Ishida residence. He was loathed to admit this fact, since he'd been the one who'd really wanted to attend their wake, however it would probably have been more exciting if they'd just stayed in Soul Society. At least there he had Matsumoto to annoy, which was always good for a laugh.

Kasumi rolled her eyes in her best friend's direction. "I don't know what you were expecting. It was a funeral Shiro-chan, those kinds of things aren't generally exciting."

"I know that," Shiro said as he watched their parents walking toward the spot where they were standing. "But with our families and their history I thought for sure something of interest would happen."

"And it probably would have if we hadn't had the foresight to leave Kaien and Masaki with Urahara today," Ichigo said as he came to a stop in front of his son. "I can just imagine trying to explain to those two why exactly everyone was mourning the brother who was standing in the corner making faces."

Shiro chuckled, a mental picture of his precocious siblings entering into his mind. "Now that would have been funny."

"Toushirou," Rukia said in a reproachful tone of voice, her violet gaze focused on her eldest son.

Shiro shrugged, completely remorseless. "Well Kasumi I guess we should probably return to Soul Society. Head Captain Ukitake said that he wanted to talk to me after I'd had my little fun. His words not mine."

"Ukitake knew about this?" Ichigo exclaimed. "And he let you come?"

Shiro arched his brow at this statement. Honestly his father really should know better. "Oh come on. Like he could stop me."

Rukia shook her head. "I swear Ichigo that boy is JUST like you."

Both Shiro and Ichigo looked offended by this comment however Ichigo knew better than to say anything about it and Shiro never got the chance. Before the boy could even open his mouth Kasumi grabbed him by the hand.

"Come on Shiro-chan," she said as she pulled on his hand. "You have a meeting to get to and I have to get to class."

"Fine," Shiro said, allowing Kasumi to pull him from the room.

Uryu's gaze followed his daughter as she dragged her best friend from the room. Then he turned to face Ichigo, a horrified expression on his face. "Did she just say that she has to go to class?"

"Yep," Ichigo said, realizing in that moment that Kasumi must have neglected to tell her father that she was to attend classes at the Shinigami Academy. Not that he blamed her for that decision. He wouldn't want to be the one to deliver that particular piece of news either.

* * *

Later that day Ichigo and Rukia were playing with their twins out in the backyard when a black butterfly fluttered up to Rukia. Slightly curious Rukia held out her index finger and allowed the Hell butterfly to alight upon it. She gazed at the messenger intently for a few minutes and then watched as it flew away.

"So what's the message?" Ichigo asked as he watched the butterfly flutter off.

"Ukitake is holding a joint meeting for all captains and vice-captains," Rukia told him.

"Oh what now?" Ichigo exclaimed.

Rukia shrugged. "No clue. Guess we'll find out in a couple of hours."

At this moment Kaien began to tug on his mother's shirt sleeve. "You're not gonna leave us with Urahara again are you Mom?"

"Yea," Masaki joined in. "It's boring there."

"Don't worry Saki-chan," Rukia said, offering both children a reassuring smile. "We'll go to Soul Society now and see if you can stay with Momo."

"Yay!" the twins exclaimed in unison. Hinamori's daughter Ayana was their best friend, apart from one another and their older brother, and they were excited about the prospect of seeing her. Trips to Soul Society were few and far between and as a result of this fact the twins didn't get the opportunity to see their friend very often. The prospect of seeing Ayana always elicited an excited response.

"Well come on then," Ichigo said, not really happy about departing for Soul Society any earlier than was absolutely necessary but at the same time realizing that he was completely outnumbered on this.

Rukia nodded and she and the twins fell into step behind Ichigo, who led the way back into the house and downstairs to the Senkaimon that was located in the basement. Once there Ichigo activated the portal that would take them to Soul Society and together the family departed.

* * *

A couple of hours later all of the captains and vice-captains assembled together in the Squad One conference room. All that is except for one. Everyone was gazing around in confusion, curious as to why the Squad Three Captain wasn't present however all muttering stopped as Head Captain Ukitake stepped to the front of the room.

"I'm sure you're all wondering where Captain Erizawa is and why she's not here," Ukitake said as his gaze swept around the room. "Unfortunately Natsumi has decided that the stress of being a captain is just to much for her to deal with. She's resigned her post and is accepting a position in the kidou corp. Which unfortunately leaves us one captain short."

"So what are you going to do about this little problem Jyuu?" Captain Kyouraku asked, a broad smile on his face. "Are we going to hold a tournament to pick her replacement or something fun like that?"

"I've already found a replacement. All that's left is for me to run my choice by the rest of you and make sure that you all. . ." Ukitake began however his words were interrupted when the doors of the conference room suddenly opened.

"Oops," Shiro said as his gaze fell upon the assembled captains and vice-captains. "I swear I didn't mean to interrupt this time but Ukitake told me to meet him here and. . ."

Ukitake smiled at the boy. "Don't worry Toushirou, you've arrived just in time."

Ichigo's eyes widened as the significance of the Head Captain's words fully sank in. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"

"What?" Shiro wanted to known, a confused expression on his face.

"Why don't you go over there and stand by your parents Toushirou," Ukitake said, gesturing toward the spot where the two Squad Five officers were standing. "I promise things will be clear soon."

Shiro still held a confused expression in his blue-green eyes however for once he did as he was told without question. Shrugging his shoulders the boy walked over to stand beside his mother.

"Okay so as I was saying," Ukitake said. "Squad Three needs a captain and I have decided to move Captain Hisagi to that position. Squad Three has a large number of new recruits, fresh from the Academy, and therefore they need a level-headed and experienced leader and I think that Captain Hisagi will be best able to lead them."

At this moment Ukitake's third seat Kiyone walked over to her captain and handed him a white haori. Ukitake took the haori and in turn offered it to Hisagi. Hisagi removed the haori that was emblazoned with the number thirteen and replaced it with the one bearing the number three.

"Okay," Ukitake said. "Now that leaves Squad Thirteen in need of a captain and I've decided that Matsumoto will be the best one to fill this role."

Just as before Kiyone handed Head Captain Ukitake a white haori which he in turn offered to Matsumoto. Matsumoto removed her haori and accepted the new one, a broad smile on her face.

"Which brings us to Squad Ten," Ukitake said with a smile as he accepted a third haori from Kiyone.

"Wait a minute!" Shiro burst out, his blue-green eyes widening. He saw where this was going and he didn't like it. "You people have been trying to pawn this off on me for years and I'm still not interested. I don't want to be a captain!"

Ichigo saw the determined expression in Ukitake's eyes and he turned to his son. "You may as well give in Shiro. They won't give up until you do." He knew this better than anyone, having ascended to the rank of Captain in a similar manner.

"Come on Shiro-chan," Kin said, walking over to the spot where the boy was standing. "You'll make a great Captain."

Shiro still didn't look convinced however made no move to protest when Matsumoto took the haori emblazoned with the number ten from Ukitake and placed it on him. "You know," the boy said as he gazed down at the white coat that he now wore. "Ganging up on me isn't really fair."

"I know what you mean kid," Ichigo muttered, thinking back to the day when he'd faced a similar situation.

"Now," Ukitake said, addressing the group. "By a show of hands who supports Toushirou's appointment to the position of Squad Ten Captain?"

One by one the room was filled with raised hands, even Byakuya raised his hand although he was the last to make a decision.

Shiro sighed in resignation and took his place in line, with Kin standing just slightly behind him.

"Excellent," Head Captain Ukitake said, smiling as he surveyed the room. "Now that our vacant captain's position has been filled you are all dismissed."

"Come on Captain," Kin said, offering Shiro a bright smile.

Shaking his head Shiro left the room, his new vice-captain walking a few steps behind him.

"He doesn't look happy does he?" Rukia said as she watched her eldest son leave the conference room, the white haori that he now wore making him look even more eerily similar to his deceased counterpart, Captain Hitsugaya.

"I would imagine he looks much the same way I did when I was forced into taking the position of Squad Five Captain," Ichigo said, trying with all of his might to block out the flashbacks from that day.

* * *

"I can't believe he actually dragged me to our own wake," Kasumi muttered under her breath as she walked down a corridor in the Shinigami Academy. Her first day of Shinigami training had been uneventful and much to her surprise she'd taken to it almost immediately. And yet despite this feeling of accomplishment she still couldn't get over her best friend's actions.

"Kasumi-chan!" a voice called out from a few feet away.

Kasumi turned and watched as her new friend Rumi hurried toward her, accompanied by a couple of other girls that Kasumi didn't know. They were all dressed in the same red and white uniform that she wore and they all had excited expressions on their faces. "What is it?" Kasumi asked.

"One of the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is standing out at the front gate," Rumi exclaimed in a breathless voice. "And he's absolutely gorgeous. Come see!"

And with this Rumi grabbed Kasumi by the hand and together the group of girls made their way toward the exit that led out to the front courtyard. "He must be new," Rumi said as they walked. "I've never seen him before but he's wearing the white haori that marks all of the captains. And I've never seen anyone so handsome."

When they reached the courtyard Kasumi's gaze swept the grounds, searching for this gorgeous captain that her friend had been gushing about but the only person she saw standing at the gate was Shiro-chan. "Surely they can't mean. . ."

Shiro's gaze fell upon Kasumi as soon as she stepped outside and he hurried toward her, his new white haori flairing out behind him as he walked. He arched a brow as he watched her gazing around as though she'd lost something. "What are you doing?"

"My friends said that there was a gorgeous captain standing outside," Kasumi told him. "But all I see is you."

A smirk on his face Shiro turned around and displayed the large number ten that was emblazoned on the back of his haori. Kasumi's eyes widened. "You. . . you can't be serious."

"Serious as a heart attack," Shiro said, beginning to grow uncomfortable with all of the stares that he was recieving. "Apparently that's what Ukitake wanted to talk about. So are you ready to go?" The group of girls were beginning to crowd around him and the sooner he got out of this place the better.

"Sure," Kasumi said.

"Then let's go," Shiro said, seizing her by the hand and pulling her from the courtyard.

A/N - and thus ends chapter three. Captain Shiro. And he has fangirls, I thought that would be too funny. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	4. Changes

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach however the OCs are mine

Chapter Four - Changes

"I can't believe that I got bullied into this," Shiro muttered darkly as he and Kasumi made their way across the Seireitei. The two teens had just left the Academy, much to the delight of Shiro and the dismay of Kasumi's female classmates, and were now on their way to the Squad Ten barracks. Every so often Shiro would glance over his shoulder, just to make sure that he wasn't being followed by any of her over zealous classmates.

Personally Kasumi had thought that it was only a matter of time before Shiro was made a captain however even she was surprised by the speed with which his promotion had taken place. "Look on the bright side Shiro-chan," she said as she offered her best friend a smile. "Your dad can't pull rank on you anymore cause now you're both even in rank."

"This is true," Shiro admitted. "But I still don't think that I have the necessary qualifications to be a captain."

"How can you honestly think that?" Kasumi asked, staring at her friend in confusion. "With the memories of Captain Hitsugaya you should know exactly what to do."

Shiro shrugged his shoulders, unsure how to explain the situation. "Knowing how to do something isn't the same as being able to do it."

Kasumi heard the uncertainty in Shiro's voice and she found herself feeling sorry for the boy that she had grown up with. Shiro had experienced a somewhat traumatic childhood, first being abandoned as a small child and then being plagued with the memories of his former incarnation. And now he had been pushed into the role of captain, a role that he wasn't sure that he was fit for.

"You'll do fine Shiro-chan." Kasumi wanted to reassure her friend but couldn't tell by his facial expression whether or not her words had any affect.

"Hmm," Shiro said, a thoughtful expression in his teal eyes. The boy abruptly shook his head and turned his attention back to his best friend. "So tell me, how was your first day at the Academy?"

Kasumi smiled, amused by her best friend's attempt to change the subject. "It wasn't as bad as you told me it would be. The instructors did talk a lot but I found most of what they said to be incredibly instructive. I think I may be able to do this after all."

Shiro smirked. "Your dad will be thrilled I'm sure."

Kasumi ran her hand through her hair. "Yea, um. . . about that. . ."

"You haven't told him," Shiro said, the grin on his face growing even larger. "I can't believe you, Ms. I Have to Tell My Parents Everything, neglected to share such an important piece of information. Not that I blame you of course cause your dad's gonna flip out but this isn't like you."

"I know," Kasumi said. "But it's just that all my life I've heard about the rivalry between the Quincy and the Shinigami and now I'm well on my way to being some kind of cross between the two. I just don't know how to tell him about it."

"My advice would be to tell it as quickly as possible and then run for it," Shiro said, his face completely serious without even a hint of humor.

Even though Shiro was being one hundred percent serious Kasumi couldn't help but laugh at the suggestion that he had just made to her. Truthfully it wasn't a bad plan however she knew that it wouldn't work. Not with her dad.

Lost in thought the two teens were surprised to find themselves standing in front of the gate that led into the courtyard of Squad Ten. It was familiar territory for both teens and yet in this moment it seemed different somehow. Both Shiro and Kasumi simply stood and stared at the gate, neither making a move to open it and enter the courtyard.

"If it isn't the new Captain of Squad Ten."

Shiro glanced over his shoulder and glared at his dad through narrowed eyes. Both Ichigo and Rukia were walking toward the spot where the two teens were standing and Ichigo wore an obnoxious smirk on his face as he gazed over at his son.

"Oh shut up," Shiro snapped. "You had a hand in that didn't you?"

"No," Ichigo said without hesitation. "Actually I didn't."

Shiro gazed deep into his father's eyes, attempting to ascertain whether or not Ichigo was telling him the truth, and he detected no lie from the older man. "Sorry," Shiro said, running a hand through his white hair and causing it to stand up even more than normal.

"It's okay," Ichigo said, waving his hand dismissively. "Believe it or not I understand exactly what you're going through. I had absolutely no desire to become a captain when I was given charge of Squad Five. Ukitake thought I'd make a good captain and took a vote. Then he informed me that I'd won even though I never put my name in for consideration."

Shiro's blue-green eyes widened in surprise. He'd never heard this story before.

"And look what a fine job you've done," Rukia said, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. Then she turned a smile to her eldest child. "I know you're nervous and that you think you can't do the job but I assure you Shiro-chan, you'll do fine. And it's not as though you have to go it alone. You have Kin there to help you."

"That's right," Ichigo said, a smirk appearing on his face. "Vice-captains can really come in handy."

Shiro caught sight of the look on his mother's face and winced. "I think you should quit while you're ahead Dad." A second glance over to his mother made the teen change his mind. "I take that back. You'd better quit before you dig the hole any deeper."

Ichigo glanced warily in the direction of his wife and immediately realized that he should definitely take Shiro's warning. Clearing his throat nervously the Squad Five Captain stepped closer to Rukia and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

The look that appeared on his mother's face brought a smile to Shiro's face. His parents definitely had a unique relationship however it was obvious by the looks that they often exchanged that Ichigo and Rukia were still very much in love with each other.

"So Shiro-chan," Rukia said, offering her eldest child a warm smile. "Would you like to go and give your siblings the good news?"

Shiro thought about the two children who looked up to him. "I'm still not sure that it IS good news but yea let's go tell them."

Rukia's smile widened as she heard those words from her son. She knew Shiro well enough the know that, even though he hadn't asked for it and was somewhat irritated that it had been forced upon him, he was still proud of his promotion.

"Dead a grand total of three days and you've already been made a captain," Ichigo said with a smirk. "That's gotta be a record."

"I don't think so," Shiro said as he countered his dad's smirk with one of his own. "After all you were a captain for ten years before you even died. I think you hold the record."

"And he only agreed to do it until someone more suitable was found," Rukia added, enjoying her husband's obvious discomfort over the direction that the conversation had taken.

"What can I say," Ichigo said, holding up his hands. "Apparently there wasn't anyone more suited."

Kasumi laughed at the expression on Rukia's face. "You mean you're the captain Kurosaki-san? And here I always thought that it was Rukia-san. I mean she's the only one that I've ever seen doing paperwork. Don't captains have to do paperwork?"

"Thank you," Rukia said as Ichigo shot an irritated look in the young girl's direction.

"That was great Kasumi," Shiro said.

"Come on guys," Rukia said once she'd recovered from her bout of laughter. "Let's go and make sure that Kaien and Masaki haven't driven Momo crazy."

Ichigo still looked as though he wanted to fight however when his wife started walking in the direction of Hinamori's house he immediately fell into step behind her. Still chuckling softly to himself Shiro grasped Kasumi's hand and followed along a short distance behind his parents.

"Nii-san!" Three little voices called out excitedly as the group walked toward the small cottage where Hinamori lived with her family and Shiro was soon surrounded by small children.

"Hey runts," Shiro said as he gazed down at two little girls and one little boy.

"Looky," Masaki said as she stepped back from her older brother and grabbed the corner of his haori. "He's got a coat like Dad." The little girl gazed up at Shiro, a questioning look in her violet eyes. "Is you a captain now Nii-san?"

Shiro nodded, inwardly marveling at how perceptive his little sister was. "I'm the Captain of Squad Ten."

"But that's Ran-san's squad," Kaien said, his brown eyed gaze coming to rest on his brother. "You didn't fight her did you Nii-san?"

"Constantly," Shiro muttered before he ruffled Kaien's black hair in a reassuring gesture. "I didn't take her squad Kai, Grandpa Ukitake just changed things up a bit. I didn't fight anyone. It's okay."

"Oh," Kaien said. "Okay."

At that moment Hinamori emerged from the house. "Is everything alright out. . ." Hinamori's voice trailed off as she glanced up and her gaze locked on to Shiro. Her mind flashed back to Hitsugaya, standing in the courtyard with a smug expression on his face.

"Hello Momo," Shiro said, breaking into the trance that Hinamori seemed to have fallen into. "Ran-san finally got her wish."

Snapping back to the present Hinamori rushed across the yard and pulled Shiro into a fierce embrace. "Congratulations Shiro-chan! I'm so proud of you."

"Can't. . . breathe. . ." Shiro managed to gasp from around the vice like grip she had on him.

Hinamori blushed as she released the young man. "Sorry Shiro-chan, it's just that I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," Shiro said as he fought to catch his breath. Hinamori had always been over enthusiastic, even during her childhood days in the Rukongai, and in hindsight Shiro realized that he really should have anticipated her reaction.

"And you brought Kasumi-chan," Hinamori said, offering the young girl a bright smile. "You look really cute in your uniform. Did you enjoy your first day of class?"

"I did Hinamori-sensei," Kasumi said politely. "I think that I'm going to enjoy my time there."

"Uryu's gonna flip," Ichigo muttered as he gazed over at his rival's young daughter, who was dressed in the red and white uniform that marked her as a student of the Shinigami Academy.

"Yea," Kasumi said, running a hand through her hair nervously. "I still haven't decided just how to break the news to him."

"Just blurt it out and then run," Ichigo suggested.

Kasumi shook her head. "You know that's the same advice that Shiro gave me. The only difference is how it was worded."

"I keep trying to tell people that their just alike," Rukia said.

Both Ichigo and Shiro whirled to face her. "We are not!"

"See?" Rukia said as though they had just proven her point for her.

"Well Rukia we should probably be getting back to the world of the living," Ichigo said as his gaze swept over his children.

Rukia nodded and held her hands out to her two youngest. "Come on guys, it's time to go home. Tell everyone bye."

The twins politely told Ayana and Hinamori goodbye and then they once again wrapped their arms around their brother's waist. "Bye Nii-san," they said in unison. Then Masaki gazed up at him with a pleading look in her violet eyes. "Please come and visit us soon."

"You will, won't you?" Kaien added.

"Count on it," Shiro said as he hugged the twins goodbye.

Once his family were out of sight Shiro turned to Hinamori. "I guess we should probably go as well. I have. . . responsibilities now."

"Good luck Shiro-chan," Hinamori said.

"Thanks," Shiro said as he and Kasumi turned to leave. "I'm gonna need it," he added under his breath. Kasumi heard his muttering but chose to ignore it. She had faith that her best friend would do a great job as captain and nothing he said was going to convince her otherwise.

"I guess I'll walk you to the dorms since it's getting late," Shiro said as he and Kasumi made their way across the Seireitei.

"Alright." Kasumi didn't really think that it was necessary for Shiro to walk her back since she was more than capable of taking care of herself however she welcomed his company so she didn't say anything.

"So exactly how long are you going to avoid telling your dad that you've entered training to become a Shinigami?" Shiro asked, arching a brow as he gazed at his best friend.

"As long as possible," Kasumi replied and then smiled. "I'm just kidding. I plan on telling him soon, I just haven't figured out how to bring up the topic. It would probably not be a good idea to just come out and say Dad, I'm training to become something that you've spent your life hating. I could be wrong but I just don't think that approach would go over well."

Shiro shrugged, inwardly thinking that if Kasumi broke the news that way then Uryu's reaction would probably be worth the price of admission. "I can't help you with that and I certainly don't envy you. The wonderful thing with my family is that my death didn't really change anything."

"But becoming a captain did," Kasumi said.

"Yea," Shiro said as he thought back on the events of the day. Now he was responsible not only for his own actions but for the actions of an entire squad. He still wasn't sure how exactly this set up was going to work and had decided just to wing it.

"At least the worst that could happen is I get demoted," Shiro thought to himself as he and Kasumi walked up to the entrance of the dorms. "Which wouldn't be so bad since I didn't ask for this job in the first place." A smile appeared on Shiro's face at the thought.

"What are you smirking about?" Kasumi asked as she turned to tell her friend goodbye and saw the strange little smile that he had on his face.

"Nothing," Shiro said quickly.

Kasumi didn't look as though she believed him however before she could say anything else on the subject the two teens heard the sound of squealing coming from the door of the dorm building. Both Shiro and Kasumi looked toward the sound and the young captain's face paled as he saw a group of girls standing in the doorway. He quickly turned toward his best friend. "I'll see you tomorrow alright?"

"Kay," Kasumi said as she watched her best friend's hasty retreat. "Good night."

"Night," Shiro called out over his shoulder as he quickly walked away from the dorm building toward the Squad Ten barracks, glancing back every so often just to make sure that he wasn't being followed. As he passed Squad Six the young captain finally slowed his pace a small degree, convinced at last that he wasn't being followed. Shiro heaved a sigh of relief as he continued on at a more normal pace. He wasn't sure what life would be like from now on but one thing was for sure. Things would definitely be interesting.

A/N - thanx to everyone who has reviewed this story thus far. I can't believe the response that it has gotten. Apparently Shiro has fans. Hope you enjoyed this story, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	5. The Truth Comes Out

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach however the plot and the OCs are mine

Chapter Five - The Truth Comes Out

The new Captain of Squad Ten, Toushirou Kurosaki, was sitting at the desk in his new office, completely surrounded by paperwork. His vice-captain Kin Soma was sitting at her own desk, absorbed by the papers that were in front of her. A momentary flash of memory. . . a situation eerily similar to this.

"You know," Shiro said, glancing over to Kin. "Every time I sit down to do paperwork I get the strangest sense of deja vu."

Kin smiled at her new superior officer. "I would imagine so."

"The up side however is that I already know how to do all of this," Shiro said as he placed his signature at the bottom of the last form.

"That has GOT to be some kind of record," Kin exclaimed as she watched Shiro gather up the papers and organize them neatly. "Even Captain Hitsugaya couldn't do that much paperwork that quickly and I thought he was the master."

"What can I say?" Shiro asked with a shrug of his shoulders as he stood up and stretched his arms up over his head. "I'm just that good."

Kin laughed. "And so modest too."

Shiro turned his head slightly to the side, in the direction of his vice-captain, and offered her a devilish grin. "I have many good qualities however modesty is not one of them."

"Isn't that the truth," a third voice called out cheerfully, joining in the conversation.

Shiro's gaze went to the door and the young boy smiled as his blue-green eyes focused on Hinamori. "Hey Momo. So what brings you to Squad Ten?"

"I have a request to make Shiro-chan," Hinamori said as she walked across the room and pulled the young captain into a tight hug.

"Oh yea," Shiro said as he returned the hug and then pulled away. "And what might that be?"

"I have something that I need to do tomorrow and I was wondering if you could teach my classes."

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise as he heard this request. "You're kidding right Momo? I don't have any experience teaching."

"No," Hinamori agreed, her chocolate colored eyes locked onto the young captain who so resembled her deceased childhood friend. "But you've always been a natural at kidou and I've seen some of the moves that you've taught Kaien and Masaki. I really think that you can do this and I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't think you were capable."

Shiro's heart began to beat more rapidly when Hinamori mentioned Kaien and Masaki. No one was supposed to know that he was teaching his siblings how to harness their reiatsu and use kidou. "Alright Momo, you win. I'll teach your classes if you promise not to tell Dad that I've been teaching Kaien and Masaki kidou moves. I really don't think that he'd appreciate it."

"Deal," Hinamori said quickly. She pulled Shiro into another embrace before she turned and made her way toward the door, a broad smile on her face.

"I can't believe I let her manipulate me like that," Shiro muttered as the door slid closed behind Hinamori.

"I can't believe that Momo actually black-mailed you," Kin said as she came to stand beside her captain. "I didn't think she had it in her and I must admit that I'm somewhat proud of her. And you should know better than to do something that you can get black-mailed over Captain Shiro."

"Oh shut up," Shiro snapped, briefly channeling Captain Hitsugaya.

* * *

The next day Shiro woke early and made his way to the office. Kin was already there and the young captain informed her that she would be in charge of their squad for the day since he was playing substitute teacher for Hinamori.

"Don't worry Captain," Kin said with a smile. "I'll make sure that nothing falls apart while you're gone. Have fun at school and play nice with the other kids."

Kin laughed at her own advice and Shiro shook his head. "Oh yea, laugh it up."

"You'd better get a move on Captain Shiro or else you're going to be late for class," Kin said, gently shoving him toward the door.

"So?" Shiro said as he allowed her to push him toward the office door. "I'm the teacher. What are they going to do, give me detention?"

"If any of them are still around from your days in the Academy they just might."

Shiro wanted to say something about that particular comment however deep inside he knew that her words had at least a small amount of truth so he chose to hold his tongue. Waving good-bye to his second in command the young captain left the office and began the familiar and yet long avoided trek to the Academy. Students were milling about outside but as Shiro walked past they all stopped what they were doing so that they could stare at him.

What was a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads doing at the Academy?

* * *

"Come on Kasumi-chan!" Rumi called out from across the courtyard.

"I'm coming." Quickening her pace Kasumi quickly walked over to the spot where her friend was standing. The two girls were both in the Advanced class and had become fairly good friends. "So are you looking forward to kidou training? We're supposed to learn something new today."

"I know and I can't wait," Rumi said, an excited smile lighting up her face. "Come on before we're late. Hinamori-sensei won't like that."

Privately Kasumi thought that Hinamori was probably a very lenient teacher however she didn't say this to her friend. Instead she led the way down the corridor to the classroom that belonged to Hinamori, pulling Rumi along behind her.

Most of the class was assembled inside however Hinamori-sensei was nowhere to be seen. _"I wonder what's going on?"_ Kasumi thought to herself as she and Rumi took the seats in the back that they always occupied. It was common knowledge among students of the Academy that Hinamori never missed class and she was never late. _"This is odd."_

At that moment the door of the classroom slid open and who should step over the thresh hold but Shiro. Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise as the young captain walked across the room, coming to a stop in the center. Slowly Shiro turned to face the group of students, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.

Gasps echoed around the room as the female population got a good look at the young man who had just entered the room.

"Look at him," one whispered.

"I know," another added, in the same reverent tone that the first girl had used. "He's absolutely gorgeous."

Jumping to her feet Kasumi hurried over to the spot where Shiro was standing, seized him by the arm and pulled him toward the door. "What are you doing here?" she hissed once the two of them were out of earshot of the other students.

"Well," Shiro said quietly. "I was going to introduce myself to the class before you interrupted me. Momo asked me to teach the class today since she had something else that she needed to do. Don't ask me what cause I don't have a clue. And it's not as though I wanted to do this. She forced me into it."

"You mean you're actually going to teach my class?" Kasumi said in a whisper, her eyes focused on her best friend. She couldn't tell if she liked the idea of him being in charge of her class or not. On the one hand it could be interesting but on the other it could be unbelievably embarrassing.

"It'll be fine," Shiro assured her.

Kasumi didn't look convinced but merely nodded and then made her way back to her chair beside Rumi while Shiro once again walked to the center of the room. Turning to face the group once more Shiro said, "Good morning. My name is Shiro and I'm going to be teaching the class today."

"But aren't you a captain in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?" a boy in the back of the room called out.

"I am," Shiro said, thinking that this fact was obvious due to the haori that he wore emblazoned with the number ten. He kept this thought to himself however. "I agreed to do this as a favor to Hinamori-sensei. Now can someone please tell me what you guys are studying? She neglected to share this information with me when I agreed to do her this favor."

"We were supposed to learn Hado 34 today," Rumi supplied, batting her eyelashes as she gazed at the young captain.

Shiro cringed at the mention of the basic kidou, only one step up from Red Flame Cannon. "That doesn't sound like much fun. Are you guys sure this is the advanced class?" Shiro paused a moment, a thoughtful expression in his blue-green eyes. "I have a better idea, come with me."

There were confused expression on all of the faces in the room save for one however the students all got to their feet and followed Shiro out of the classroom. The young captain led the way out to the training grounds were he commenced to teaching the students something a little more fun than Hado 34.

* * *

"I can't believe you taught us that," Kasumi said as she and Shiro walked away from the Academy side by side.

"Oh come on," Shiro said as he flashed her a devilish grin. "You know for a fact that you and your classmates all had a good time so don't even bother to deny it. I could tell by the looks in your eyes."

"It was fun," Kasumi was forced to admit. "But it was way more advanced than the stuff that we're supposed to be studying."

"And yet everyone managed it," Shiro said, not really seeing what the problem was. "Guess that means that you guys aren't being challenged enough. Or else I'm a better teacher than Momo, one or the other."

"Hmm," Kasumi said thoughtfully.

The two walked along in silence and it soon became apparent to Shiro that Kasumi was not leading him toward Squad Ten. Turning to his friend he arched a brow. "Where exactly are we going Kasumi? I was under the impression that you were coming with me back to Squad Ten."

Kasumi shook her head, a determined look in her eyes. "I have to go to the World of the Living and you're coming with me."

"Why do you have to go to the World of the Living?" Shiro wanted to know.

"I have to talk to my dad," Kasumi told him.

"Oh hell no!" Shiro exclaimed, attempting to pull away from her. Having anticipated his actions Kasumi tightened her grip on his hand and refused to release him. "No Kasumi, I do not want to bear witness to this. He's gonna blame me."

"He isn't going to blame you," Kasumi assured her friend.

"I'm a dead man," Shiro muttered as he and Kasumi came to a stop in front of the permanent Senkaimon that was positioned in the center of the Seireitei. Kasumi rolled her eyes in the direction of her best friend as she activated the portal and pulled her reluctant best friend through.

Shiro hadn't been back to Karakura Town since the day of his wake but it didn't appear as though anything had changed. Not that he'd really expected things to change in less than two weeks. The young captain made a move to walk down the street but was immediately pulled to a stop by Kasumi.

"Wrong way," she admonished.

Shiro bowed his head and followed meekly beside Kasumi as she led the way across town to the house that she had until recently shared with her parents. Orihime was standing out in the yard and her face lit up as her gaze fell upon her daughter.

"Kasumi-chan!" she exclaimed as she rushed forward and embraced her daughter in a fierce hug.

"Hey Mom," Kasumi said as she extricated herself from her mother's grasp. "Is Dad around? I need to speak with him."

Orihime glanced at the clothes that her daughter was wearing and immediately knew what Kasumi needed to speak to her father about. She gestured toward the backyard. "He's out in the back, practicing."

Kasumi nodded and began walking toward the fence that enclosed the backyard. She had released her grip on Shiro's hand however her best friend followed along behind her as though he were still being pulled. He didn't want her to face this alone, knowing how hard it was going to be.

Uryu was standing under a tree, dressed all in white and holding a glowing blue bow in his hand. He had his back to the two teens and seemed unaware of their presence.

"Dad. . ."

Uryu turned around at the sound of his daughter's voice and he immediately took in the clothes that she was wearing. Kasumi noticed the slight changes in her dad's facial features and quickly stepped toward him. "I was going to tell you sooner but. . ."

"But my feelings on Shinigami made you scared to," Uryu supplied as he gazed down at his daughter. His gaze was loving and he reached out and tenderly ran a hand through his daughter's silky hair. "I've known since the day of the wake that you joined the Academy and I want you to know that whatever you decide to do is fine by me. I won't love you any less if you become a Shinigami."

Amazed that he had known the entire time Kasumi nodded and rushed forward to embrace her father. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too Kasumi-chan," Uryu murmured as he held his daughter.

"Oh hey Dad," Kasumi said as she pulled away from her dad's embrace. "I wanted to talk to you about something else. I seem to have kept my Quincy powers even though I died and seem to have attained the powers of a Shinigami."

"Is that right?" Uryu asked, gazing at his daughter in amazement. He'd always known that his daughter was special but this took things to a whole new level. "I've never heard of that happening before. That's truly amazing."

Kasumi nodded, slightly disappointed that her father wouldn't be able to help her understand the strange being that she had turned in to. But at least he understood why she had decided to enter the Shinigami Academy and wasn't angry at her for her decision.

Shiro was relieved that Uryu wasn't angry about the fact that his daughter had joined the Academy and was beginning to relax. Maybe his life wasn't going to end today after all.

"Toushirou!"

Shiro jumped at the sound of his full name being shouted and he turned toward Uryu nervously.

"So how does it feel to be a captain?" Uryu asked, completely shocking the young man with the question.

"Weird," Shiro replied once he had recovered from the shock.

* * *

"See Shiro-chan," Kasumi said as the two teenaged Shinigami stood in front of the Senkaimon that the Squad Ten Captain had summoned to take them back to Soul Society. "I told you that everything was going to be okay."

"Well forgive me for being pessimistic," Shiro said as he stepped through the portal. "But your dad has threatened my life over you more than once and I just knew that he was going to blame me."

"I can't believe he knew the whole time," Kasumi commented.

"I think that worked out to our advantage," Shiro said. "He got used to the idea before we saw him."

Kasumi chuckled softly. "Maybe."

A/N - and thus ends another chapter. Uryu knows about his daughter and he didn't go ballistic. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and share your thoughts. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	6. A Quincy's Zanpaktou

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Six - A Quincy's Zanpaktou

"Captain," Kin said as she glanced at the young man out of the corner of her eye and noticed that, instead of working the stack of paperwork that was on his desk, Shiro was staring blankly off into space. "You seem somewhat out of it today. Is everything alright?"

"Huh?" Shiro said, snapping back to reality and shifting his gaze toward his vice-captain. He instantly noticed that she had a concerned look in her blue eyes and, realizing that he must have zoned out again, he offered her a small smile. "I'm fine. Just a little preoccupied."

"By what?" Kin asked.

"Kasumi's undergoing the trial to obtain her zanpaktou today," Shiro replied, his blue-green eyes glazing over once again as his thoughts shifted to his best friend. Kasumi had confided in him that she was nervous about the unknown test that she would have to undergo in order to obtain her zanpaktou and Shiro had been concerned about her ever since.

"Don't worry Captain," Kin said as she got to her feet and walked over to his desk. It was in this moment that she realized that Shiro had never undergone a trial in order to obtain his zanpaktou so he had no clue how the process worked. Since he possessed the soul of Captain Hitsugaya he'd had a ready made zanpaktou in Hyourinmaru. "Kasumi-chan will be fine. I promise."

* * *

As the dust settled and Kasumi got to her feet she was somewhat surprised to see that she held a long staff in her right hand. Turning it around so that she could get a good look at it the young girl saw that it was completely unremarkable. True, it was a beautiful mahogany color but there was nothing about it that set it apart from any other staff used for sparing or fighting.

"So this is my zanpaktou huh?" Kasumi murmured to herself as she twirled it about in her hands. Thinking back to how she had acquired it she shook her head and laughed slightly. "That was the absolute weirdest thing I've ever experienced in my life and considering that my life has consisted of one weirdness after the other that's really saying something."

_**"So I'm weird am I?" **_a far off voice seemed to echo through her very mind.

"Yea," Kasumi replied without so much as missing a beat. "You are somewhat."

_**"Well coming from you I guess I'll take that as a compliment."**_

Kasumi could only smile at the voice of her zanpaktou, which was supposed to be an extension of herself, the embodiment of her heart and soul. She had heard Shiro complain about Hyourinmaru enough to know that this relationship was going to have it's ups and downs however she could deal with that.

"I really am one of the weirdest ones around," Kasumi murmured as she once again twirled the staff, laughing to herself as she did so. "I thought my zanpaktou was supposed to be a sword."

"Well I guess you shouldn't think so much."

"Oh shut up," Kasumi said, although there was a smile on her face that belied her harsh words. After taking a couple of moments to collect her thoughts Kasumi took a deep breath and prepared to return to the Academy. She was the first in her class to undergo the trial, which she was thankful for. Now she could relax while all of the others stressed about the ordeal that they were facing.

"I don't know if it's the same for everyone," the young girl thought to herself as she traveled back to her class. "But if it is then they don't have anything to worry about. That wasn't so hard."

_**"That's because you're special Kasumi-chan."**_

"Thanks," Kasumi said. "I'm not sure how you mean that however I choose to take it as a compliment."

Laughter echoed in her mind.

* * *

Having finished his paperwork for the day Shiro decided that he could use some fresh air and, after bidding farewell to his vice-captain, the young captain made his way out to the garden. The white haired prodigy slowly made his way over to the large koi pond that was situated in one corner of the garden and sat down under the weeping willow tree that stood guard over the koi.

Shiro pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Placing his head on his knees the young captain stared at the koi, which were peacefully swimming beneath the small waterfall, a thoughtful expression in his blue-green eyes.

"You look like you're having fun."

Shiro immediately glanced up at the sound of the familiar, musical voice and he smiled as he watched Kasumi walking toward him. As usual she was dressed in the red and white uniform of the Academy however there was something definately different about her. Shiro's gaze focused on the staff that the young girl was wearing secured across her back.

"Are you skipping out on your responsibilities?" Kasumi asked, offering her best friend a smile as she sat knelt down beside him. She propped herself up on her knees so that she wouldn't have to remove the staff from it's position across her back.

"Of course not," Shiro said, slightly indignant over her accusation. Then he changed the subject and gestured toward the staff. "So I take it that's your zanpaktou."

Kasumi nodded. "Leave it to me to be the oddball of the group."

"You never know," Shiro said with a smile. "You were the first to get your zanpaktou. There's still time for someone else to get something weirder."

"Yea," Kasumi said with a smirk. "You and I both know that's so not gonna happen. But I'm okay with that. I've always thought that it's better to be different."

"And you're right," Shiro said as he got to his feet and offered Kasumi his hand. "So shall we go out to the Squad Ten training grounds and see what you're capable of?"

"Sure," Kasumi said as she accepted his hand and allowed him to gently pull her to her feet. It had been a while since the two of them had spared together and she had to admit that she missed it. It was always good to release some pent up frustrations and fighting with Shiro had always been a good way to do just that.

"Captain!"

Shiro paused as he heard the voice of his vice-captain calling out to him. His gaze shifted back to the door that led into the Squad Ten barracks and he watched as Kin emerged. His second in command gazed around the garden for a couple of seconds before her gaze fell upon Shiro and Kasumi.

"I'm glad you're still here," Kin said as she jogged over to the spot where the two teens were standing.

Shiro noticed that there was a black butterfly perched on the tip of Kin's finger and he raised one eyebrow in confusion. "What's up?"

"It's a message from your mother Captain Shiro," Kin replied, slightly out of breath after her search for her superior. "She and your father have a mission and she wants you to keep an eye on the twins."

"A mission," Shiro repeated, looking less than convinced. "They probably just wanna go out together."

"Shiro!" Kasumi gasped, giving her best friend a reproachful look. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Think about it," Shiro said. "What kind of mission could possibly require both of my parents? I mean my dad alone is enough to take on Soul Society so why would he need Mom's help?"

"Oh," Kasumi said, realizing that her friend had a very valid point. "Good point. So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to watch the runts so that they can go on their mission," Shiro replied without so much as a moment's hesitation. This said he once again offered his hand to his best friend. "Wanna come along for the ride?"

"Sure," Kasumi said.

Shiro nodded and then turned back to face his vice-captain. "I'm really leaving this time Kin. Try to keep things under control while I'm gone."

Kin nodded. "I'll do my best."

Laughing softly to himself Shiro held out his hand and summoned a Senkaimon. It was true that it would have only taken a couple of minutes for him and Kasumi to walk to the permanent Senkaimon that had been established for travel to the world of the living but Shiro decided that he was in a hurry. And since he could summon the gate on his own why not?

"I guess we'll have to post-pone our little sparing match," Kasumi said as she and Shiro walked toward the house that Ichigo and Rukia shared with their two youngest children.

"Only for a little while," Shiro said with a smirk. "I'm bringing the twins back to Soul Society. I think they'll get a kick out of seeing this match."

Shaking her head Kasumi couldn't help but laugh.

Shiro knocked on the door once before he opened it and pulled Kasumi inside. "I'm home," he called out in the loudest voice that he could muster, winking at Kasumi as he did so.

"NII-SAN!"

The sound of two little voices mingling together could be heard followed shortly thereafter by the sounds of two small children running down the hallway. Mere seconds passed before two blurs, one black and one orange, ran down the hall and tackled Shiro.

"Hey runts," Shiro said as he gazed fondly down at the two small children who were now clinging to his legs as though they hadn't seen him in years.

"I think they're happy to see you," a soft voice called out.

"Hey Mom," Shiro said as his mother walked over to the spot where they were standing. Rukia smiled at her oldest before leaning forward and giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for coming to watch the twins Shiro-chan."

"No problem," Shiro said. "But if it's okay with you I'd like to take Kai and Saki with me to Soul Society."

"That's fine," Rukia said, grateful that he was agreeing to watch his siblings. "Your dad and I will come and get them later."

Shiro nodded before turning his attention back to his two younger siblings. "Alright guys, how would you like to go to Soul Society with me and Kasumi?"

"Yea!" the twins exclaimed in one voice, excited expressions appearing on their small features.

"Now you guys behave and listen to your brother," Rukia called out as the small group turned to leave.

" 'Kay Mom," Kaien said. The little boy was the more responsible of the twins and he always made an attempt to keep his energetic sister under control.

"Have fun," Rukia called out.

After leaving the house in which he had grown up Shiro led his little group to the edge of the yard before once again summoning a Senkaimon so that they could travel to Soul Society. Masaki took her brother's hand while Kaien shyly slipped his hand into Kasumi's.

The two teens smiled as they led the way through the Senkaimon. Then, once the group arrived back in Soul Society, Shiro turned his attention to the twins once more. "So guys, Kasumi and I were going to do a little training. Would you guys like to watch?"

"Yes!"

"Thought so," Shiro said with a smile. "Come on. We'll go to the Squad Ten training grounds so that no one will bother us."

Once the group arrived at the Squad Ten training grounds Shiro quickly erected a kidou barrier so that no one would bother them. Then he told his siblings where they could sit so that they would have a good view of the battle but would also be safe.

"You gonna use kidou?" Kaien asked.

Shiro shook his head and drew Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. "No Kai, we're going to use our zanpaktou."

"But Ka-chan's a Quincy," Masaki said innocently, gazing at the older girl with wide eyes. "Quincy's not s'posed to have zanpaktou."

"Well Saki-chan," Shiro said in an attempt to explain the situation to the little girl. "Kasumi is a little different. You see she's both a Quincy and a Shinigami."

"Ooh," Masaki said, gazing at Kasumi in awe. "Ka-chan's special."

"Yes she is," Shiro said, fixing an intense gaze on Kasumi and offering her a slightly lopsided grin.

Kasumi blushed and pulled the staff from it's sheath. The young girl gracefully twirled the staff in front of her and then gazed over at Shiro. "Are you ready Shiro-chan?"

"You better believe it," Shiro said. Turning back to his siblings the young captain said, "Now you two behave."

"Yes Nii-san."

"Right," Shiro said as he and Kasumi moved away from the twins and took their places out in the center of the battleground. The young captain raised his sword while Kasumi once again twirled her staff out in front of her. "So let's see what a Quincy can do with a zanpaktou."

"Alright," Kasumi said with a broad smile. Deciding to waste no time the young girl held the staff out in front of her, horizontally. At the same time she called out the words that had echoed through her mind at the moment that she had seized her zanpaktou and claimed it as her own. "Burn Bright, Kitsune Kaji."

"Fox fire huh?" Shiro whispered as he watched Kasumi's staff become engulfed in a golden light. His gaze remained focused on the weapon and with a small gasp he watched as it curved slightly and a golden string gracefully flew from one end and attached to the other.

"It's a bow?" he asked the moment he saw the finished product.

Kasumi nodded as she used her reiatsu to form an arrow from the spirit particles that surrounded them and made up everything in Soul Society. "Tell me that you didn't think a Quincy would have anything else."

"Of course not," Shiro said as he held up his sword. "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Kaien and Masaki watched excitedly as their brother and his best friend fought one another, their eyes open wide and their hands clasped together. They squealed each time Shiro took the advantage in battle and held their breath when it seemed as though Kasumi would emerge victorious.

Kasumi was indeed talented, especially considering the fact that she had never before used her zanpaktou, however Shiro proved to be the more skilled of the two and in the end Kasumi was forced to concede the fight to him.

"Fine, you win," she said as she fought to catch her breath. "But there's going to be a rematch."

"Any time," Shiro said with a smirk.

A/N - And now Kasumi has a zanpaktou and of course it had to be a bow. On top of everything that has happened I just don't think Uryu could handle it if his daughter got a normal sword. So she gets to be special. Please review and tell me what you thought. And thanks for all the reviews this story has already recieved. Hitsu-taichou


	7. Secret Kidou Lessons

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Seven - Secret Kidou Lessons

"Nii-san!"

Upon hearing the two excited voices calling out to him, Shiro glanced up from his stack of nearly completed paperwork and watched as two little terrors ran toward him. He saw what was going to happen mere seconds before disaster struck and the young captain held out his hands and called out, in his most commanding captain's voice, "Halt!"

Kaien and Masaki froze immediately.

Shiro quickly gathered up his stack of paperwork and then stuffed it in a drawer so that it would be out of harm's way and wouldn't get demolished when the twins pounced. Then, once the fruit of all of his hard work had been hidden, he shifted his gaze back to his siblings, who were still standing as still as statues in the center of the room. Smiling at their uncharacteristic obedience the Squad Ten Captain said, "Resume."

The children bounded forth as though nothing had happened and, leaping across the desk, they tackled their older brother. A smile appeared on Shiro's face as he wrapped his arms around his siblings, one arm around each child. "Hey runts. How goes it?"

"We came to stay with you Nii-san," Masaki said in an excited voice as she gazed up into the face of her beloved big brother.

"That's right," Kaien added.

"Sorry about that Shiro-chan," a feminine voice called out in an amused tone of voice. "I've been attempting to teach them self control but it appears that we still have a long way to go."

"That's alright Mom," Shiro said, offering his mother a smile as he watched her walk across his office.

Rukia longed for a camera as she gazed at her three children. Shiro was sitting in a large chair behind his desk with Kaien on perched on one arm of the chair and Masaki on the other. The older boy had his arms wrapped protectively around his siblings and there was a protective glint in his blue-green eyes. "I came by to ask if you cared to watch them again. I was going to leave them with Orihime but she wasn't home."

"I don't mind," Shiro said, anticipating the pleading looks that his siblings were going to turn in his direction. "After all I'm nearly finished with my work and it's only mid-morning." A questioning gaze appeared on his face as he gazed at his mother. "So where are you off to?"

"It's time once again for the Squad Five meeting," Rukia replied. "Which is why I couldn't find a baby-sitter for the twins. Not that I would have left them with anyone other than Kaiya but she has to go to the meeting so. . ."

"I think that hurts my feelings," Shiro said, placing his hand over his heart as though he was in pain. "So I was your last resort huh?"

"Yes," the twins said in unison, answering for their mother.

"But only because I didn't want to disturb your work," Rukia added hastily, not wanting to hurt her eldest son's feelings.

Shiro was forced to laugh at the appearance that had appeared on his mother's face. "It's alright Mom, I was just giving you a hard time." The white-haired young man got to his feet, picking up both of his siblings and easily juggling one in each arm. "You go ahead to your meeting. Kai, Saki, and I will be just fine, I promise."

"Alright," Rukia said, once again smiling at her children. "Kaien, Masaki you guys behave for your brother and try to stay out of trouble."

"Right," the twins chorused, already accustomed to this warning.

Shiro laughed as he watched their mother leave the office. Then, once she was gone, he gazed down at the two young children that he held in his arms. "If I didn't know better guys I'd think that Mom doesn't trust you. You wouldn't happen to know why now would you?"

Masaki merely shrugged while Kaien looked somewhat sheepish and seemed to be gazing at his sister out of the corner of his brown eyes.

Shiro's laughter increased in volume as he placed the twins down on their own feet. "Come on guys," he said, offering each of the children one of his hands. "Let's go and find something fun to do."

"Alright!" Masaki exclaimed, her violet eyes lighting up in delight.

"But Nii-san," Kaien said in a slightly hesitant tone of voice. "Shouldn't you finish your work before we go?"

"It'll be okay," Shiro assured his little brother. "There isn't that much left and I have plenty of time to finish it before the end of the day. Don't worry about it."

"Kay," Kaien said in a quiet voice.

"Come on guys," Shiro said with a smile. "I think we'll take a little field trip."

"To where?" Kaien and Masaki asked in unison.

"We'll go and visit Kasumi at school," Shiro said, making his decision a split second before he announced it to the twins.

Both sets of eyes, one brown and one violet, opened wide as they gazed up at their older brother.

"Come on," Shiro said, leading the way over to the door. His siblings followed along willingly and the three of them made their way across the Seireitei toward the campus of the Shinigami Academy. The twins gasped as the buildings came into view and they gazed around in awe.

"So where's Ka-chan?" Masaki asked as Shiro led the way across the courtyard.

Shiro thought about the time of day and then ran a mental checklist of Kasumi's class before he answered his sister. "She has kidou right now." Gazing around Shiro thought about the best route to take before he began walking, the twins trotting along beside him.

* * *

Kasumi was kneeling on the ground, awaiting her turn to show the teacher that she could perform the day's chosen kidou, and she glanced up as she felt a familiar reiatsu enter the practice arena. Gazing toward the entrance to the outdoor classroom she was shocked to see Shiro standing there, along with his two younger siblings.

Shiro winked as he caught her eye.

"What are you doing here?" she mouthed.

"Observing," was the reply that he gave.

"Of course you are," Kasumi muttered as her name was called. Getting to her feet the young woman bowed to her teacher before taking her stance and demonstrating her knowledge of the kidou. Then, once the demonstration was complete, she rejoined her classmates.

"That was excellent Ishida," the instructor said.

"Thank you sir," Kasumi mumbled, preoccupied by Shiro's arrival.

"Alright everyone. Next time we're going to work on defensive kidou. Until then you are dismissed."

And without another word to the students the instructor walked over to the spot where Shiro and the twins were standing. Kaien and Masaki's eyes widened as the strange man approached, fearing that they had inadvertently done something that they shouldn't have.

"We were quiet," Kaien said in their defense, moving to stand in front of Masaki.

"You were both great," Shiro said, placing his younger siblings behind him as he faced the man. "Don't worry about it guys." This said he turned his attention back to the teacher. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"Yes," the instructor said, in an irritated tone of voice. "You can tell me why you felt the need to interrupt my class."

Somewhat confused by the question Shiro eyed the man for a moment before saying, "You're new aren't you?" That was the only way to explain the fact that this guy didn't know who he was. After all he was somewhat infamous in Soul Society.

"I'm filling in," the instructor snapped. "But that doesn't mean that I don't deserve the same respect as everyone else and I don't. . ."

"Captain Kurosaki!"

Shiro cringed as he heard the group of female students call out to him. Damn, he'd actually forgotten about all of the girls who seemed to have a thing for him or else he never would have came here. However the look on the instructor's face was almost worth it in his eyes.

"C. . . Captain?"

Shiro nodded, still slightly surprised that the man didn't know him. "Captain of Squad Ten, Toushirou Kurosaki."

The man paled, now deeply regretting the way that he had treated his young guest. "Forget that I said anything. Please feel free to come and observe the class anytime that you wish."

Shiro nodded and watched as the man quickly made himself scarce. "Well that was amusing," he thought to himself as Kasumi walked toward him, shaking her head.

"Nii-san," Masaki said, stepping from behind her brothers. "That looked like fun."

"You think so?" Shiro asked.

Masaki nodded and Kaien quickly followed suit.

"Well how would the two of you like to learn some kidou?" Shiro asked, his blue-green eyes locked on his siblings.

"YES!" two little voices exclaimed in unison.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked, an uncertain look in her eyes.

"Sure," Shiro said. "As long as Mom and Dad don't find out about it. I'm not sure how they would feel but come on. Every kid needs to learn some kidou. I could already do it when I was their age and I turned out just fine."

"That's debatable," Kasumi countered.

"Oh shut up," Shiro snapped before turning his attention back to the two small children who were looking up at him as though Christmas had come earlier. "Alright guys. I'll teach you some basic kidou but before that what's rule number one when you're with Nii-san?"

"No matter what happens," Kaien began.

Masaki finished the sentence, "Don't tell Mom and Dad."

"Exactly," Shiro said, offering his brother and sister a smile while Kasumi shook her head.

"Alright," Kasumi said, gazing at the excited looks in the twins' eyes and the determined look that Shiro held in his own. "But I'm coming with you guys just to make sure that things don't get out of hand."

"But you have class," Shiro reminded her, a slightly taunting edge in his voice.

"So I'll skip it," Kasumi said in a casual tone of voice, making it sound as though she did this kind of thing everyday. Which of course she didn't but she was way ahead of the other students and knew that she could afford to miss a couple of classes. Keeping Shiro and his siblings safe had a much higher priority than a bunch of classes that she didn't need.

"And you've now officially been corrupted," Shiro exclaimed, a smirk on his face.

"Shut it," Kasumi ordered.

Shiro began to laugh.

"I said shut it!" Kasumi growled low in her throat before regaining her composure. "Come on. If you're going to break the rules we may as well get it over with."

"Yeah," the twins chimed in.

"Born trouble makers," Kasumi thought to herself as the quartet left the Academy grounds and began traveling across the Seireitei. "All three of them."

Shiro led the way to the Squad Ten training grounds and when they arrived there the first thing that the young captain did was to erect a kidou barrier around the area. It wouldn't do if his parents felt their reiatsu and he didn't particularly want an audience either. While he was certain that the twins would be powerful he didn't want other people to see what they were capable of.

At least not yet.

"This should be good," Kasumi mumbled as she sat down in the grass at the edge of the battlefield.

"Alright guys," Shiro said, gazing down at the two small children who were staring raptly up at him. "The first thing that I'm going to teach you is Red Flame Cannon."

"Yay!" Masaki exclaimed while Kaien said, "I've seen you do that one Nii-san."

Shiro nodded. "This is one of the first kidou attacks that I learned and I think that it's as good a place as any to start your training."

The twins nodded, both excited about the prospect of learning kidou. Their parents hadn't even mentioned any training and the two children were delighted that their older brother was willing to teach them some moves. It was exciting.

Kasumi watched in awe as Shiro worked with his two younger siblings and she noted that her best friend would make a very good teacher should he ever choose to do so. "Who would have thought," she muttered to herself as she watched him correcting the twins on their form.

Once the twins had memorized the incantation involved Shiro took a couple of steps back. "Alright guys," he said, pointing toward a dummy that was positioned at the far end of the training grounds. "Let's see what you can do."

Masaki glanced at her twin for a brief second and Kaien saw that his sister was slightly scared. Reaching out to her he offered Masaki his hand. "Let's do it together Saki-chan."

Masaki nodded, grasping the hand that her brother was holding out to her.

Together two little voices called out, "Ruler, the mask of flesh and blood all things in the universe fly. That which names all in nature, gathering of heat and war. Beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south. Hadou 33, Shakahou Red Flame Cannon!"

Shiro watched as two balls of red energy erupted from the twins' outstretched hands and flew toward the target. One of the blasts nicked the edge of the dummy however the other fell just short of the intended target. Still it was impressive that they had actually managed to pull it off on their first attempt. "That was very good."

"But I barely hit it," Kaien said in protest of the praise.

"And I missed," Masaki whined.

"Shiro's right you guys," Kasumi said, leaving her spot on the sidelines and walking over to the spot where the Kurosaki siblings were standing. "There were people in my first kidou class who couldn't do it on the first try and they were all way older than the two of you."

"Really?" Masaki asked.

Kasumi nodded.

"Alright!" the little girl said, jumping into the air and raising one fist in triumph.

"Alright guys," Shiro said, offering his brother and sister a smile. He could tell by their features that this use of their reiatsu had left them drained, even though they were doing their best to hide it. "I think that's enough for today. And make sure that you never use kidou unless you're with me alright?"

Kaien and Masaki both nodded. "You got it Nii-san."

"Good," Shiro said, offering the twins his hands. "Now let's go back to Squad Ten and get a snack."

"Yay!" Kaien and Masaki exclaimed in unison. "We want watermelon!"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Shiro cast a glance in the direction of his best friend. "Are you coming Ms. Juvenile Delinquent?"

Kasumi ran to catch up to the group and when she did she slapped her best friend on the arm. "That's not funny."

* * *

When Ichigo and Rukia arrived at the Squad Ten barracks to pick up their younger children they found the twins sound asleep on the sofa in Shiro's office. "I don't know how you did it," Ichigo said as he gently scooped his son up into his arms. "But you should do it more often."

"He has no idea what he's asking for," Shiro thought to himself as he watched his mother gather his sister in her arms. "You can count on it Dad."

"Thanks for watching the twins Shiro-chan," Rukia said, walking over to her son and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're a life saver."

"You may not think so later," was the thought that went through the boy's mind but it wasn't what he said to his mother. "No problem Mom. You can leave the twins with me any time. We had a lot of fun today."

Rukia nodded as she came to stand beside her husband. "Well, I guess we'll see you later Shiro-chan."

"Bye," Shiro called out after his parents.

"So do you think Kaien and Masaki will keep your little secret?" Kasumi asked once she was sure that Shiro's parents were out of earshot.

"Of course," Shiro said, his voice filled with confidence. "After all this isn't the first time that we've done something that they wouldn't approve of. They know how it works."

"Should have known," Kasumi said, rolling her eyes.

A/N - and there's chapter seven. Shiro's going to corrupt his siblings, poor Ichigo. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	8. Shiro's FANatics

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Eight - Shiro's FANatics

Having been friends with Kasumi since she first entered the Academy Rumi could not fail to notice that the gorgeous young Captain of Squad Ten traveled to the Academy every day so that he could meet with the young girl. And this realization set the other girl's brain into overdrive. There had to be something more than friendship going on between those two and Rumi found that she really wanted to know.

"It's obvious that there's something going on between the two of them," Rumi muttered to herself as she made her way down the hallway. She was walking alone and had been ever since Kasumi had been promoted to a higher grade in the Academy.

As it turned out her friend was somewhat of a prodigy and had already obtained her zanpaktou. A feat that the remainder of her classmates were years away from accomplishing. However this didn't mean that the two of them had stopped being friends, it merely meant that they didn't get to spend as much time together as they had when they'd been in the same class.

As Rumi turned a corner she saw Kasumi exiting one of the classroom and she quickly ran to catch up with her friend. "Hey Kasumi-chan!" she called out.

"Hello," Kasumi said in a quiet voice as her friend ran up and pulled her into a choking embrace.

"I miss you since you got promoted," Rumi said as she fell into step beside her friend. "I hope you're having fun."

"I miss you to but I am having fun," Kasumi said, a smile appearing on her face. "The teachers are talking about me graduating soon."

Rumi's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Kasumi nodded. "I'm going through the curriculum so fast that soon there won't be anything left for them to teach me." Kasumi laughed softly. "That's what they say at least. Maybe they're just tired of having me around, I really couldn't say for certain."

"Wow," Rumi said as the two friends left the Academy building. "I'm really impressed Kasumi-chan. You're super smart, graduating in just one year."

"Oh that's nothing," Kasumi said with a laugh. "My best friend Shiro did it in just under six months. He's the real prodigy."

"Do you mean Captain Kurosaki of Squad Ten?" Rumi asked, even though she really already knew the answer. She was actually somewhat obsessed with the young captain with the snow white hair and took any opportunity to gawk at him.

Kasumi nodded, unaware that her school friend was infatuated with her best friend. "But he hates being called Captain Kurosaki. The most that his subordinates can get away with is Captain Shiro and even then he makes faces."

"So how long have you known this guy Kasumi-chan?" Rumi's eyes grew wide as she thought back to the handsome captain. He was absolutely gorgeous and was the talk of all the girls in the Academy and she was friends with his best friend.

What more could she ask for?

"Shiro-chan? We've been friends since we were three years old. His family and mine were really close so the two of us grew up together."

"Wow," Rumi said, hanging on to every word that her friend uttered. She knew of a couple of girls in her class that would pay for information about the gorgeous white haired Captain of Squad Ten and there were probably others that she just wasn't aware of who would love to know more about him.

An idea suddenly popped into the girl's mind. "Kasumi-chan, a bunch of us girls are getting together Saturday night for a little girl-talk. You should come."

Kasumi hesitated, not sure how to respond to the invitation. She'd never actually attended anything like that and wasn't entirely sure that she would fit in. Being a Quincy and her father's only child she'd always been somewhat of a tomboy. "I don't know. . ."

"But you HAVE to come," Rumi wheedled, clutching Kasumi's hand. "It won't be nearly as much fun without you."

"I'll think about it," was all that Kasumi could promise.

Rumi nodded, hoping that her friend would consent to come. "Guess I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Kasumi nodded and made her way to the spot where Shiro had began meeting her after class. He absolutely refused to come to the gate now, having been ambushed by screaming girls one to many times, and now met her under a large tree nearby.

"Hey," the young captain called out as he watched Kasumi approach him. He tilted his head to one side, as though something about her seemed odd. "You look. . . different."

"Just thinking," Kasumi said absently, falling into step behind him.

"Well stop it," Shiro said, gazing at his friend as though she confused him. "You're starting to seriously creep me out."

"Shiro-chan," Kasumi said as she slapped him on the shoulder. "That was just mean."

"That's better," Shiro said, smiling and absently rubbing the shoulder that she had struck as though the blow had actually caused him pain. "That's the Kasumi that I know."

Kasumi laughed at her friend however it wasn't long before her thoughts again returned to the little party that she had been invited to. She enjoyed spending time with her friends from school so it might be fun but the fact remained that she had absolutely no experience with girl talk as Rumi had called it. Growing up she hadn't really spent much time with girls her own age since she was either with Shiro or training with her father.

"Maybe I really should go," she thought to herself. "Just to find out what it's really all about."

* * *

In the end Kasumi decided to go to the little get together that Rumi was holding and Shiro bid her farewell as she abandoned him to make her way across the Seireitei. Her best friend had decided not to accompany her because he was still extremely wary of her school friends but he told her that he would be in the Squad Ten office should she decide that she needed an escape.

And more importantly somewhere to hide.

"Oh come on Shiro-chan," she said with a somewhat forced laugh as she left his office. "It's just a bunch of girls. How bad could it possibly be?"

Shiro shivered involuntarily as he thought back to the group of girls from the Academy. He'd had more experience with Kasumi's friends than he'd ever wanted and he personally thought that it could be end of the world, apocalyptic bad. But that was just his personal opinion. "For you I'm not sure. But you couldn't pay me to go anywhere near there. Those people are scary."

"And you're weird," Kasumi told him as she departed, a small smile on her face.

Still chuckling softly to herself Kasumi made her way across the Seireitei until she reached the dorms. Unsure of what to expect from the little get together Kasumi took a deep breath and then made her way to Rumi's room. She had been there before of course however never for anything like this.

"Kasumi-chan!" Rumi exclaimed, opening the door and pulling her friend into the room.

"Um hello," Kasumi said as she was literally pulled into the room. Pulling her hand free from Rumi's grasp Kasumi gazed around at the group of girls who were assembled around the room. All of them had expectant looks on their faces and for the life of her Kasumi couldn't figure out why. She knew for a fact that she wasn't an interesting person so why exactly were they all staring at her like that?

However when one of them, Kasumi didn't know her name, spoke the true purpose for this little meeting became painfully obvious. "You should have brought along that white haired friend of yours. Then we could have had some fun."

"Yea," another girl said, starry eyed.

"Of course," Kasumi thought to herself, wondering why she hadn't realized it before. They only wanted her around so that they could talk about Shiro. She had already known that all of the girls in the Academy were obsessed with him so why hadn't she seen this coming from a mile away?

"Sorry Kasumi-chan," Rumi said, an apologetic expression on her face. "They talked me into it."

"Uh huh," Kasumi said.

"So please tell us about your friend," one of the girls begged, her eyes lighting up at the mere mention of Shiro.

"Well," Kasumi said, a thoughtful expression appearing in her blue eyes as she thought about the white haired boy that she'd grown up with. "He's arrogant and sometimes even down right rude. He's been fighting Hollow since he was like five years old and was made a captain three days after his death." Kasumi scanned the faces of the girls, silently adding, "And he's scared of every single one of you."

"You're so lucky!" one of the girls squealed, placing her hands on the sides of her face.

"I am?" Kasumi said.

She'd never really given any thought to her relationship with Shiro however as she thought about it she decided that she really was lucky. Shiro really was somewhat arrogant but he was also the best friend that she could have asked for. He was always there for her and never hesitated to protect her. Shiro had always been there for her, no matter the sitation, and in hindsight she decided that she was lucky that she had met him.

"I guess I am."

"So," a girl named Momoko said, gazing at Kasumi as though the other girl was hiding some secret. "Are you and Captain Kurosaki dating?"

Kasumi almost choked on the drink that she had been sipping and she whirled around to gaze at the older girl. "What the hell would make you think something like that?"

"Oh come on," Momoko said, a sly smile spreading across her face. She seemed to be enjoying Kasumi's obvious discomfort. "The two of you are always together. You can't possibly expect us to believe that the two of you are just friends."

"I personally don't care what you believe," Kasumi said.

* * *

The next day Kasumi made her way to the Squad Ten office. She knocked lightly on the door however received no reply from within. "That's weird," Kasumi thought to herself. It was true that it was Sunday morning however Shiro could usually be found in the office no matter what day of the week it was.

He said that it was a quirk that he had kept from his past incarnation.

"He's inside," a voice called out, startling Kasumi. The young girl turned and watched as Kin walked down the hall toward the spot where she was standing.

"Are you sure?" Kasumi asked the Squad Ten vice-captain. "I knocked but he didn't answer."

"It's because he was up all night waiting for you," Kin replied, a knowing smile on her face. "But I guarantee you that he's there."

Curious as to whether or not Kin was right Kasumi slid the door open and quietly stepped inside the office. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness of the room however as soon as her eyes adjusted the young girl saw that Shiro was indeed in the office.

He had fallen asleep at his desk and looked so peaceful that Kasumi couldn't wake him. "I can't believe that he waited up for me all night."

Her friend had actually been so concerned about her that he had waited up all night just in case she needed to come and talk to him. "That's so sweet," she thought to herself, deciding in that moment that she wouldn't tell him that the entire purpose of the little get together had been to discuss him.

A/N - short and pointless chapter. Hope you enjoyed.


	9. Aizen Reborn?

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Nine - Aizen Reborn?

Things had been very boring in the Seireitei recently and Squad Ten Captain Toushirou Kurosaki desperately wanted something to do. So great was his boredom that when Head Captain Ukitake asked him to send one of his subordinates to the world of the living to do some recon work the young captain jumped on the opportunity and decided to go himself.

Reports had been coming in about strange phenomenon in the city of Tokyo, which was why the Head Captain wasn't dispatching someone from Squad Five. Large groups of Hollow had began to show up in Karakura Town and Ichigo's squad had their hands full at the moment. Something seemed to be causing the Hollow to attack with far more regularity and the higher ups weren't exactly sure what was going on.

Not that Shiro had any complaints. He was going to go completely insane if he had to fill out one more report and he welcomed the mission, even if it did promise to be mind numbingly boring. Anything was better than being trapped in this office for another second.

"Keep an eye on things for me Kin," Shiro said to his second in command as he prepared to leave, securing Hyourinmaru across his back as he walked across the office.

"Yes Captain Shiro," the Squad Ten Vice-captain said, offering her superior officer a smile. She was well aware that he was only going out on this mission because he was bored but she didn't mind. He always completed his paperwork and was probably caught up for the week already.

Slacker he was not although most of Soul Society thought otherwise because of his personality.

It had been over a year since his death and yet the young prodigy still wasn't used to being called a captain. He wasn't used to the fact that he no longer aged either but that wasn't something that he ever wanted to talk about. If only he'd lasted a few years longer then it wouldn't have been so bad but as it was it was annoying as hell. He didn't want to perpetually be a seventeen year old but in hindsight he guessed it was better than perpetually being a twelve year old.

"Oh," the familar voice echoed in his head. "I can't believe that you actually went there. You just made fun of yourself twice in the same sentence."

"Shut up," Shiro muttered.

Hyourinmaru's laughed echoed in his mind but the zanpaktou chose not to comment further about Shiro's perpetual youth. His bad luck seemed to transcend lifetimes and he guessed that he just hadn't been meant to reach adulthood.

"It's just not fair," the boy muttered as he made his way across the Seireitei toward the Senkaimon that would take him to the world of the living.

"Hey Shiro-chan!"

Shiro halted and waited for the approaching figure to catch up to him. "You know you're supposed to call me captain now right?"

"I know," Kasumi said, tossing her braided hair over her shoulders. "I just don't care."

"Well at least your honest," Shiro said with a smirk. "And luckily for you I don't really care either. I just felt the need to mention it in case you didn't know."

"Yea," Kasumi said with a smile. "You're so thoughtful like that. So where are you off to anyway?"

"I'm going to Tokyo to investigate some strange occurrences there," Shiro replied, his gaze locked on the girl. Kasumi had graduated from the Academy, in the top position no less, and was now a member of Squad Thirteen. Matsumoto's squad. "Hey Kasumi would you like to come along?"

"I'm not sure if I should," the young girl said, looking torn.

"Come on," Shiro coaxed. "I'll take the blame from Matsumoto if she says anything. Which she won't because she knows that she did much worse during her days as a vice-captain."

Kasumi thought about his words for a moment and then nodded.

"Great," Shiro said, seizing her by the hand and pulling her toward the Senkaimon. "Now that you're coming along this should be way more fun than doing that stupid paperwork."

That comment brought a smile to Kasumi's lips. She knew that, despite his attitude, Shiro was very dedicated to his work and wouldn't just ignore the paperwork. He would do it and he would do it on time but that didn't mean that he had to like it. "You're still hopeless."

"I know," Shiro said.

Together the two young Shinigami made their way to Tokyo and, once they arrived there, they began searching for the strange traces of reiatsu that had been picked up by Soul Society. It had been strong but no one was quite sure exactly what had caused it.

And that was where Shiro and Kasumi entered into the equation.

Part of the abnormal reiatsu signal was immediately obvious to the two Shinigami. This place seemed to be over run with Hollow, some of which seemed to be high level. Shiro and Kasumi immediately sprang into action, destroying the Hollow that came out of the shadows to attack them.

"This seems familiar," Shiro said as he thought back to the large group of Hollow that had descended upon Karakura Town when he'd been younger. "What do you suppose is causing them all to gather here like this?"

Kasumi shrugged as she used her zanpaktou to shoot three Hollow, simultaneously destroying them with her reiatsu arrows.

"Lord Aizen."

Shiro's gaze immediately shifted to the Hollow that had spoken. It had a more human appearance than the lower level Hollow that he and Kasumi had been fighting and he was instantly on high alert. The broken mask that was perched on the side of the Hollow's head practically screamed out the fact that it was an Arrancar.

"Aizen is dead," Shiro stated coldly, his mind flashing back to the traitorous Shinigami who had ended the life of his previous incarnation.

"He has returned," the Arrancar stated calmly, walking toward the two young Shinigami with murderous intent practically glowing in his eyes. "We will find him and then we will regroup. Soul Society will fall at the hands of Lord Aizen."

"Not very damn likely," Shiro snapped as he held up Hyourinmaru. His blue-green eyes shifted to a pale blue color as he whispered, in a deadly tone, "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru."

Kasumi watched as the ice erupted from the hilt of Hyourinmaru and grew to surround her best friend's right arm. At the same time the familiar wings of ice grew from the boy's back and, without so much as a word of warning to the Arrancar, the young captain attacked.

Kasumi found that her gaze was virtually locked onto the fight as Shiro engaged the Arrancar. It had been so long since she'd seen him in an actual fight and she had almost forgotten just how powerful he was. Not for nothing was he hailed as one of the strongest captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. His battle skills were truly impressive and it appeared as though he was out for blood.

The words of the Arrancar seemed to have upset him to some degree.

The Arrancar was cocky, as were most of his kind, but he soon fell to Shiro's blade. But not before screaming that the world would soon belong to Lord Aizen. With a growl and a furious thrust of his zanpaktou Shiro ended the Arrancar's rant, as well as his life.

"Well that was weird," Kasumi said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Shiro's pale blue eyes had yet to revert to their normal color and Kasumi found this to be somewhat disconcerting. She still vividly remembered the day that Shiro had attacked her and their friends and this was the color that his eyes had been on that day as well.

"So they think that Lord Aizen has returned do they?" Shiro muttered to himself as the wings of ice exploded and his sword reverted back to it's sealed form.

"That Arrancar had obviously lost his mind," Kasumi said, shaking her head. "Aizen is dead. Your dad killed him years ago."

"Dead yes," Shiro said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But also reincarnated."

"Heikichi!" Kasumi gasped, recalling the young boy that she and Shiro had befriended back when they were children. She hadn't seen him in years and had all but forgotten about his existense. He had been a good friend but had simply disappeared one day without so much as a word to anyone.

Shiro nodded. "Come on, we have to look into this."

"Right," Kasumi said, allowing her zanpaktou to revert to it's sealed form.

Together the two youths made their way around the city, searching for any other signs that things were not as they should be. The search was pretty much fruitless however and, after a few hours, Shiro decided that they should broaden their search radius.

The two young Shinigami were still searching, several hours later, when Shiro suddenly came to a stop, causing Kasumi to run into him. The girl complained about the sudden stop but Shiro ignored her rant session as his gaze shifted around as though searching for something.

"What is it Shiro-chan?" Kasumi asked, noticing the serious expression on his face.

"Let's go," Shiro said, using his flash step to disappear without even making sure that Kasumi was going to follow him.

Luckily for her Kasumi was used to this kind of treatment from her best friend and had absolutely no problem keeping up with him. The young captain led the way through Tokyo and beyond, traveling a vast distance in only a few steps. When the pair reached a wooded area Shiro drew to a halt and drew his blade once more.

Kasumi hadn't picked up on anything while they were in the city however now that they were out in this secluded area she sensed the presense of the large group of Hollow. "Not again," she groaned as she drew her staff and transformed it into the bow.

Both Shiro and Kasumi prepared for another battle but before they even had time to launch a single attack the clearing was bathed in a vast light. Then, when the light receded and the two teens regained their sense of sight, their shocked gazes fell upon a newcomer.

The young man appeared to be in his early twenties and he was carrying a sword.

Shiro gasped as his gaze fell upon the newcomer. Unbidden his mind called forth an image of the man that had ended Hitsugaya's life and the young man couldn't help but marvel at the similarities. He knew who this young man must be although he looked nothing like the boy that Shiro remembered. The glasses were gone now and his hair, once worn in a shaggy cut that had all but obscurred his eyes, was now slicked back save for a single strand that hung down between his eyes.

This young man appeared eerily similar to Sousuke Aizen, right down to the sword that he carried.

A/N - dun... dun... dun... Hope that this chapter makes up for the uneventfulness of the last one. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. The music has ended for now but rest assured that it will continue. Til next time. The Musician


	10. Reunion

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach nor any of the characters

Chapter Ten - Reunion

Shiro gazed at the young man as he slowly walked toward the spot where he and Kasumi were standing. He knew the man's identity but even so he was finding it hard to believe that this was the boy that he had gone to school with. Heikichi had undergone such a complete transformation that he was completely unrecognizable as the boy that he had been. The only reason that Shiro could identify him was because of the fact that he looked so eerily similar to Aizen.

He even had the man's zanpaktou.

His brown eyes focused squarely on the two youths who were standing mere feet away from him the Aizen look alike slowly walked toward them. The blade of his sword was held parallel to the ground and he gave no indication as to whether he was going to attack.

Kasumi held her bow at the ready however Shiro refused to believe that his friend would attack him. With a smirk on his face as though daring Heikichi to prove him wrong Shiro sheathed Hyourinmaru and then began to walk toward the older boy.

The two boys came to stand toe to toe and for a moment all Kasumi could do was hold her breath and wait to see what happened. Then, after a few tense moments, Heikichi sheathed his sword and placed a hand on Shiro's shoulder, a smile spreading across his face. "You always were an arrogant little brat Toushirou."

"Che," Shiro scoffed, knocking Heikichi's hand away. "And you've always been incompetent." His teal eyes focused on the now sheathed zanpaktou. "So what exactly happened to you Heikichi?"

"I discovered my Shinigami side," the boy replied in a calm and collected voice. He even sounded like Aizen, which sent a shiver down Shiro's spine. His memories threatened to flash back to the traitor captain but the boy managed to keep them in check. He was much better at controlling Hitsugaya's memories now and he could keep them at bay where as before he had been powerless when confronted by something that reminded him of his previous incarnation's past.

"How exactly did that happen?" Shiro wanted to know.

"I'll tell you everything," Heikichi said, his gaze leaving the young boy and coming to rest on Kasumi. She hadn't moved from her spot and was still gazing at the older boy with a wary look in her blue eyes. "But not before Kasumi comes over and says hi."

This request seemed to snap Kasumi's mind back to the present and, with a small smile, she walked over to the spot where the two boys were standing. "Welcome back Heikichi. So why exactly didn't you tell us goodbye before you left Karakura? We didn't know what had happened to you."

"Sorry," Heikichi said, his voice quiet. "Circumstances beyond my control and all that. But fear not because I intend to return to Karakura now."

"We don't live there anymore," Shiro said, a smirk on his face.

It was then that Heikichi really noticed that both Shiro and Kasumi were dressed in shihaksho and that Shiro had a captain's haori over the top of his. "I see. So which of you was the first to die?"

"We died on the same day," Shiro said, still somewhat bitter over the cause of their untimely demise. "There was an earthquake and we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And all because Kasumi wanted to go to some damn school dance."

Heikichi burst into uncontrollable laughter upon hearing this rant. "I always knew that school was going to kill you Toushirou. I just didn't expect it to be like that."

"Shut up!" Shiro snapped, glaring at the older boy. "Never mind about our untimely deaths. Tell me what exactly happened to you."

"Well," Heikichi said, a thoughtful expression in his brown eyes. "The Hollow have always targeted me, you already know that. When my family decided to move to a new town they virtually sealed my threat since I had never really mastered using the powers that I possessed. One day the Hollow came for me en mass and for once no one came to save me. I just knew that I was going to die but then I heard this strange voice. It sounded like it was inside my head and it kept telling me to call out to it."

"Your zanpaktou..." Shiro said.

"Aizen's zanpaktou," Heikichi corrected, gazing down at the sheathed sword that he still held.

Shiro and Kasumi both gasped. The young Captain of Squad Ten gazed at Heikichi as though seeing him in a new light. "You know about Aizen?"

Heikichi bowed his head and nodded his head in the affirmative. The look on his face told the two teens as plain as words would have that the older boy wasn't happy about this fact. "I regained his memories when I gained possession of his zanpaktou. Plus the Hollow have been attempting to get me to join their side since the day that I ascended to my powers. They want me to lead another rebellion against Soul Society."

"And..." Kasumi said.

"And I've been fighting against them ever since," Heikichi said, his brown eyes snapping fire. "I have his memories, I know what he did." His gaze shifted to Shiro and it was as though he was seeing his friend in a completely different light. "How could you be friends with me? After everything that I did to you?"

"You did nothing to me," Shiro said, gazing at the older boy with a serious expression in his teal eyes. "Except amuse me with your complete ineptitude. You aren't Aizen, just like I'm not Hitsugaya. You can't help who you were in a past life."

"Thank you Toushirou," Heikichi said in a quiet voice.

Shiro nodded his head. "So, still alive and in possession of a zanpaktou. Yet another freak has been born into the world."

"What are you talking about?" Kasumi asked, gazing at her best friend. "Heikichi was a freak long before he got a zanpaktou."

"Hey!" Heikichi shouted, his gaze shifting to the young girl. "Like you're one to talk. I thought you were a Quincy, isn't dressing up like a Shinigami against the rules or something?"

"As my siblings so like to point out Kasumi's special," Shiro said with a smile. "Apparently she's both a Quincy and a Shinigami."

"I see," Heikichi said, a smile spreading across his face. "That should make it interesting when the two of you have children."

"WHAT?!" Kasumi and Shiro exclaimed together, gaping at their friend.

Heikichi roared with laughter, enjoying the shocked expressions that had appeared on the faces of the friends that he hadn't seen in years. He had missed them more than even he had thought possible and now that they had been reunited the young man was determined not to lose their friendship again. "So you guys will come to visit when I move back to Karakura right?"

"Of course," Shiro said. "After all, we'll have to keep an eye on you and make sure that you don't get yourself killed. You've always been hopeless after all."

Heikichi's hand went to the hilt of his zanpaktou. "I've gotten better you know."

"Perhaps," Shiro said, a smug expression on his face as he gazed over at the young man that he had gone to school with. "But it won't be enough."

Heikichi made a move to draw his sword however he stopped when he felt a familiar presence approaching. "Hold that thought shorty. We have more pressing matters to attend to."

Shiro could also feel the reiatsu of the approaching group of Hollow and he nodded as he once again pulled Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. The approaching enemy was large in numbers, he could tell by their reiatsu, and the boy had to admit that he was actually looking forward to watching Heikichi fight. He hadn't seen him in years and was curious about how much his skills had improved during that span of time.

Mere seconds passed and then the group of Hollow appeared in the clearing.

"Aizen-sama!"

"Uh no," Heikichi said as he swung his blade and made short work of a couple of the Hollow who were close to him. "I'm not your leader and I have no interest in taking on Soul Society. So leave me the hell alone already."

As Shiro battled the Hollow he gazed at Heikichi out of the corner of his eye and he had to admit to himself, even if he didn't want to, that Heikichi's skills were on a whole new level now. He was able to do away with the Hollow with ease which was a completely new development. _"Scary," _he thought to himself as he swung the blade of his zanpaktou.

"Hey Shiro-chan," Kasumi called out as she rapidly fired several arrows toward her enemy. "I think he might be able to give you a run for your money now."

"Who asked you?" Shiro snapped as he released the ice dragon and directed it toward a cluster of about ten Hollow. Frozen in place by the ice dragon the enemies fell to the ground shattered into tiny pieces. Turning around Shiro's gaze sought out someone else to fight but it appeared as thought between the three of them they had managed to get rid of all of them.

"Wow Toushirou," Heikichi said as the three friends once again came to stand beside one another. "I wouldn't have thought it possible but your skills have actually improved. But then again, since you're a captain now I guess you had to get better."

"I didn't want to be a captain," Shiro muttered as he sheathed his sword.

"Sure," Heikichi said, not sounding convinced.

"He really didn't," Kasumi said as she allowed her bow to revert back to it's sealed form. "The position was kinda forced on him. Three days after we died I might add."

"Oh," Heikichi said. "Sorry Toushirou."

"It doesn't matter," the young captain said. "Anyway we should probably get out of here before more company shows up. Would you like to come back with us Heikichi?"

The brown haired youth shook his head. "No thanks. I still have a few things that I have to do before I'm ready to move. But hey, I'll try to get in touch with you guys when I arrive in Karakura."

Shiro nodded. "Just send word via my dad, he always knows where to find us."

Heikichi nodded. "I'll do that."

And with those words the three youths parted ways. Having completed their mission Shiro and Kasumi made their way back to Soul Society while Heikichi made his way back to the apartment complex that he currently called home.

_"I didn't expect to see them again," _the youth thought to himself as he made his way toward home, his zanpaktou disappearing as he walked. It was true that he couldn't assume the form of a Shinigami but he could summon his sword and will it away which was a useful trick.

A/N - and there's another chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	11. A Gathering of Hollow

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Eleven - A Gathering of Hollow

"So bored," the young Captain of Squad Ten moaned as he idly flipped through the stack of paperwork that he had been attempting to complete. Normally this would have been an easy task but the young prodigy was having difficulty concentrating on his work. "I don't wanna do this right now."

The boy's thoughts flashed to a memory of Captain Hitsugaya and, with a growl, he once again picked up the pen and forced his hand to move. It was his duty to complete these damnable forms and he would do it, whether he wanted to or not.

A voice echoed in his mind. _**"I don't enjoy doing paperwork. I just realize that it has to be done."**_

"Ugh," Shiro said, shaking his head as he quickly finished the task that he was loathe to do. He really hated it when things like that happened. "I know that it has to be done. I don't need a reminder from my previous incarnation."

"Captain Shiro!"

The young white haired captain glanced up from the paperwork that he had just completed and watched as his vice-captain entered the office. Kin looked as though she had been running and Shiro found himself wondering exactly what was going on. After all, his vice-captain was normally one of the overly calm people in the Seireitei. Something must be going on to make her run like that.

"What is it Kin?"

"Head Captain Ukitake has issued an order for all captains and vice-captains to assemble in the Squad One conference room ASAP," Kin informed her superior, taking deep breaths. The run to the Squad Ten barracks had winded her and she made a mental note to train more often.

"What's going on?" Shiro asked.

It was highly unusual for the officers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to be assembled for a meeting that they weren't already aware of. Normally the Head Captain gave them a couple of days warning when they had to gather for a meeting.

Something was definitely off about this situation.

"Alright then," Shiro said, getting to his feet. The young captain grabbed Hyourinmaru and hastily secured his zanpaktou across his back. "Come on Kin. We should probably go."

"Yes sir," Kin said, falling into step behind her captain.

Together Shiro and Kin made their way across the Seireitei and, when they arrived at the Squad One conference room, it was to find that they were two of the first to arrive for the meeting. The only ones who had arrived before them were Matsumoto and her new vice-captain, Kasumi.

The young Shinigami/Quincy had risen quickly through the ranks after her graduation from the Shinigami Academy and Shiro had heard that Matsumoto was absolutely thrilled to have the girl as her vice-captain. After all, Kasumi had always been a perfectionist with her school work and apparently this quality carried over to her duties as a vice-captain as well.

_"It's like old times," _Shiro had thought to himself when he first found out about the situation. _"Only the roles are reversed."_

"Shiro-chan!" both Squad Thirteen officers said, their voices blending together.

Shiro and Kin walked over to the spot where Matsumoto and Kasumi were standing and together the four officers discussed the ramifications of this meeting. Each had a theory about why the officers had been so hastily called together but that was all they were; theories.

The order to assemble so quickly was taken seriously by all of the officers and soon the room was filled with the captains and vice-captains of all thirteen squads. Ichigo and Rukia were the last to arrive, owing to the fact that they had to travel from the world of the living, and they cast a questioning glance toward their son before falling into their place in line.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," Head Captain Ukitake said in a quiet voice, taking his place at the head of the room. Concern was etched on the face of the leader of Soul Society as he gazed around at the group of assembled officers. "We have a major problem."

"What is it Jyuu?" Captain Kyouraku asked, picking up on the worry that was radiating from his best friend. Normally he would have made an attempt to lighten the situation but even he sensed that something was terribly wrong and as a result was unusually serious.

"Hollow are gathering from all corners of the world," Head Captain Ukitake explained. "I'm not sure to what purpose but they are assembling near Karakura. It is eerily like when Aizen was planning to use the town for his plans..."

Shiro's blue-green eyes widened as he recalled the words of his friend Heikichi, the reincarnation of Aizen. The older boy had told both him and Kasumi that the Hollow wanted him to lead another rebellion against Soul Society and that he... "Head Captain Ukitake!"

"What is it Shiro?" Head Captain Ukitake was normally more formal during officer meetings however since they had two Captain Kurosakis, he always used the younger of the two's first name.

"You remember my friend Heikichi right?"

Ukitake nodded. He did indeed remember the young reincarnation of Aizen, whom Shiro had trained to use his powers years ago. "I do."

"Well," Shiro said, sounding somewhat guilty. He knew that he should have shared this information with his superior the minute that he and Kasumi had learned of it but he hadn't wanted to focus undo attention on Heikichi. "I met him a couple of weeks ago and he told me that the Hollow had been contacting him, wanting him to lead another rebellion."

"I see," Ukitake said.

"And he was moving to Karakura," Shiro continued, unable to read Ukitake's facial expression enough to determine whether or not he was in trouble. Not that it really mattered much at this point. "I think he's probably the reason that the Hollow are gathering."

"So," Captain Kuchiki said, his voice as calm and cool as always. "Is the boy a threat?"

"I don't think so," Shiro said, recalling the day that he, Kasumi and Heikichi had fought against the group of Hollow that had came for the reincarnation of Aizen. Heikichi had seemed so determined to get rid of them and he had always been on the kind side. The young captain turned his attention back to the Head Captain. "I'm sorry sir. I should have told you about this sooner."

"It's alright Shiro," Head Captain Ukitake said. "We're all entitled to errors in judgment."

Shiro bowed his head.

"Captain Kurosaki," Ukitake said, turning his attention to the orange haired Captain of Squad Five. "I want you and Rukia to look into this and see what you can discover. After all, you are both familiar with Heikichi as well as being stationed in Karakura."

"Right," Ichigo said, nodding his head in understanding.

"I want everyone to assemble a group of ten officers," Head Captain Ukitake said, his gaze sweeping around the room. "We have to do away with the gathered Hollow as soon as possible. We cannot allow them to organize their strength."

Everyone in the room knew what the Head Captain was really thinking. They could not allow the enemy to get as strong as they were when they were led by Aizen. The Winter War against the traitor captain had cost the Shinigami many lives and it wasn't something that anyone wanted to go through again.

"Yes sir," the captains chorused.

"Dismissed."

Shiro turned to his vice-captain, a strange look in his blue-green eyes. "Kin, I want you to assemble the group of officers as per the Head Captain's orders. And you're in charge of the squad until I return."

"Captain..."

Without another word the white haired youth hastily left the conference room, his white haori billowing out behind him. Kasumi glanced up at her captain and Matsumoto nodded her head ever so slightly. The young girl mouthed the words thank you before she rushed out after her best friend.

"Shiro-chan!" Kasumi called out as she raced after the Captain of Squad Ten. She quickly caught up with her best friend and together the two young Shinigami ran across the Seireitei. "Where are you going Shiro-chan?"

"I have to find Heikichi," was the young man's reply.

"Then I'm coming with you," Kasumi said, giving him no room to argue.

Shiro chuckled softly to himself. "I would try to tell you to go back but I know that it wouldn't do any good. You've became somewhat rebellious in your old age."

"Coming from you I'll take that as a compliment," Kasumi said, offering her friend a broad smile.

"Of course you will," Shiro said, sliding to a stop in front of the Senkaimon that would take him to the world of the living. The boy paused here and cast a roguish grin in the direction of his best friend. "You know, perhaps I should have asked permission before running off to the world of the living."

"Oh come on Shiro-chan," Kasumi said, shaking her head. "That would have ruined your perfect record. After all, as I recall, you always said it was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission."

Shiro couldn't help but laugh at this phrase, which he had indeed often used when he was younger. "So what about you?"

"Me?" Kasumi said, reaching out and placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "I have to go so that I can keep you out of trouble. After all that's been my job since we were little kids."

"Alright then," Shiro said, a look of determination appearing in his blue-green eyes. "Let's go."

"Right."

A/N - the Hollow are gathering! Oh No! Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was short. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	12. The Search

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twelve - The Search

"I knew that I should have told Head Captain Ukitake the day that we met Heikichi," Shiro muttered to himself as he and Kasumi made their way to Karakura Town. They were on their way to search for Heikichi and find out if he had any connection to the massive groups of Hollow who were gathering.

"Oh come on," Kasumi said, irritated that Shiro insisted upon blaming himself for withholding information that, at the time, hadn't really seemed that important. To either of them ,which meant that if he was to blame then so was she. "This isn't your fault Toushirou. And besides, why should you have told him that groups of Hollow were after Heikichi? I mean they've been after him for as long as we've known him. It should have been common knowledge to Soul Society already. Of course it didn't seem like that big a deal."

The fact that he insisted on blaming himself for this whole ordeal was really beginning to irritate the young girl and she was making absolutely no attempt to hide her disdain from him.

"The fact that they were gathering and going after him wasn't a big deal," Shiro said, sounding years older than seventeen. There was a strange look in his blue green eyes as he and his best friend traveled through the town where they had grown up, searching for any signs of a boy that they had once considered to be among their best friends. "The fact that they're trying to recruit him to overthrow Soul Society is the part that concerns me."

"You know," Kasumi said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "For a genius you can be so stupid sometimes."

Shiro pulled up short and whirled to face his friend, his eyes flashing fire. It seemed as though the words of his best friend had struck a nerve where he was concerned. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounded like," Kasumi fired back at him, refusing to back down. "You keep blaming yourself for something that may or may not have actually happened. You don't know why the Hollow are gathering and you don't have any proof that Heikichi is involved."

"He's involved," Shiro said, a far away expression in his vivid blue green eyes. "The only question is to what degree."

"Well," Kasumi said, realizing that she wasn't going to be able to convince Shiro that none of this was his fault. Honestly, the boy had a bad habit of blaming himself for things that were outside of his control and it irritated her to no end. "There's only one thing to do; we have to find Heikichi and get to the bottom of everything. And then you can get over this silly notion that everything's your fault."

"Hmm," was all that Shiro had to say.

"So," Kasumi said, her gaze focused on her best friend. "Can you track his reiatsu signal?"

Shiro held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes before finally turning back to Kasumi and shaking his head ever so slightly. "I can't find him. Either he's too far away for me to be able to pick up on his reiatsu signal or..."

Kasumi knew what Shiro was going to say next. "Or he's hiding his reiatsu from detection."

Shiro nodded.

Considering the degree of skill that Shiro possessed Kasumi knew that the latter was the most likely of the two options that had been presented. And although this seemed somewhat suspicious Kasumi knew that it didn't necessarily mean that Heikichi was guilty of anything.

It just meant that he didn't want to be found at the moment.

But Kasumi was well aware that this fact in and of itself did not necessarily mean that he was guilty of anything. She could well remember times when she would have preferred not to be found and if she were in Heikichi's position the young girl was fairly certain that she'd want to avoid people from Soul Society.

After all, it couldn't be easy to be the reincarnation of Aizen.

At least with Shiro he was the reincarnation of someone who was liked and respected by the inhabitants of Soul Society but with Heikichi things were vastly different. He was the reincarnation of the man who had attempted to destroy all of Soul Society, along with the world of the living, and no one had forgotten about that war. Whether he deserved it or not the young man would be despised by most based solely on the fact that he had been Aizen in a former life.

Which wasn't fair but was more or less how the world worked.

"So do you have any ideas about where to find him?" Kasumi asked, once again turning her attention to her best friend.

"I figured we'd just track the Hollow," Shiro said, his voice quiet and thoughtful. "Worst case scenario we dispose of a group of Hollow and best case scenario we find Heikichi."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Kasumi said, her hand going to her sealed zanpaktou. Perhaps a little fighting would help take the edge off and then, when they finally did manage to track down Heikichi, they would be able to talk about the situation.

At least that was what Kasumi was hoping for. The reality of the situation could turn out to be vastly different but the young girl didn't want to think about that at the moment.

"Let's go," Shiro said in a commanding tone of voice. The seriousness of the situation had caused him to switch to captain mode, which was a rarity and a testament to just how seriously he was taking things.

"Right," Kasumi said, deciding to go along with her friend. He outranked her after all and this wasn't the time to be testing the limits of their friendship.

She could do that later, once this whole situation had been straightened out and things had gone back to normal. She would be serious now, because the situation called for it, but later she would make sure to make an attempt to cheer up her friend.

Shiro seemed extremely stressed due to the fact that he blamed himself for the current situation and Kasumi wanted to help him with this.

The two teens were leaping from roof top to roof top, searching for any signs of the boy that they had grown up with. Neither could feel the reiatsu of the older boy but, as they made their way across town, Shiro suddenly drew up short.

"Do you feel that?" Shiro asked, turning his attention to his companion.

Kasumi nodded, her hand reflexively going to the staff that she wore slung across her back. She could feel the reiatsu of a group of Hollow and the sheer magnitude sent shivers down her spine.

"Let's go!" Shiro called out.

"Right!"

The two teens picked up the pace and soon arrived at a park in the center of Karakura Town. A large group of Hollow were gathered and it seemed as though they were searching for something.

But their search ended when they sensed the arrival of the pair of Shinigami.

"Oh look," one of the more evolved Hollow said, turning to sneer at Shiro and Kasumi. "A pair of bugs have came to be squashed."

Shiro scoffed as he drew Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. The Hollow had numbers working in their favor but that was the only thing that they had going for them.

Even combined their reiatsu wasn't really anything to be concerned about.

Kasumi drew her sword as well and quickly evoked it's shikai. Holding up the bow she glared at the Hollow.

"Hurry and destroy these pests," the apparent leader of the group snarled, pointing a claw at the two young Shinigami.

Shiro smirked, not even remotely concerned about the threat from the Hollow. His plan was to make short work of this group and then resume his search for Heikichi.

The battle commenced and, within minutes, Shiro and Kasumi had taken the upper hand in the battle. That is until they felt the arrival of someone with an extremely high reiatsu.

"What the hell?" Shiro exclaimed as he whirled to face someone who seemed vaguely familiar to him. The young boy focused his thoughts on the memories of Captain Hitsugaya and then he realized why the new arrival seemed familiar.

He wasn't one of the original enemies who had fought alongside Aizen but he was definitely a strong Arrancar.

Probably an Espada level.

The new arrival didn't utter a single word as he rushed forward and engaged Shiro in combat.

The attack was so sudden that Shiro barely had time to raise his sword and he gasped at the strength of his new opponent.

This was wholly unexpected.

"Shiro-chan!" Kasumi yelled, taking her eyes off her own opponent long enough to make sure that her best friend was okay. The attack had been so sudden and she needed to see with her own eyes that he was still okay.

"Focus!" Shiro snapped.

"Right," Kasumi said, realizing that she had to focus on the enemies that she was fighting or else she would make a careless mistake. She just had to believe that Shiro would be okay and concentrate on her own battle.

"Everything is going to be okay," Kasumi said as she held up her bow and prepared to launch another arrow.

A/N - yet another chapter. Sorry that it took so long for me to update this story but my laptop suffered an untimely death. Hope that you enjoyed.


	13. Espada

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirteen - Espada

As Shiro clashed swords with the Arrancar his mind called back Hitsugaya's memories of fighting with the Espada during the Winter War. This one was perhaps not as strong as the number three that Hitsugaya had faced but he didn't seem to be that far off.

As it was this was proving to be one of the most difficult battles that Shiro had ever fought.

Jumping a couple of feet away from the Arrancar, the young captain pointed the tip of his blade toward the sky.

"Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

The familiar dragon comprised of ice and water flew from the tip of his sword. The creature swirled around his master once and then flew toward the enemy. The dragon crashed into the Arrancar, exploding in a spray of ice and water.

Many inexperienced fighters would assume that the battle was over since the enemy was now encased in ice however Shiro knew better. He had both his own experience, as well as that of Hitsugaya, telling him that the fight was far from finished.

Mere seconds later the ice shattered and the Arrancar leapt forward, an angry expression appearing on his face. This was the first emotion that he had shown and Shiro decided to see if he could use the Arrancar's anger against it.

After all, it was always harder to concentrate on the battle when your emotions were threatening to overwhelm you. And anger was the worst of all emotions.

"I can tell what you're thinking child." The Arrancar focused narrowed eyes on the young captain as he spoke for the first time. "But you aren't going to win this battle."

"That's what you think," Shiro said, his blue-green eyes focused on his opponent. He was trying to gauge, by the Arrancar's movements, what his next move was going to be.

"Cocky little thing aren't you?" the Arrancar said, one eyebrow arched as he gazed at the young Shinigami. While it was true that the brat was fairly powerful, there was simply no way that his powers could rival that of the Arrancar.

After all, he was at the same level as the legendary Espada who had fought alongside Lord Aizen.

"Tch." Shiro refused to be baited by the comments of the Arrancar. He was very familiar with this technique, having practiced it on a number of his friends over the years. It would be really pathetic if he fell for it himself.

As she fought against the lower level Hollow all Kasumi could do was hope that her friend could manage to hold his own against his opponent. She could tell, by the reiatsu signal, that this was one of the strongest opponents that her friend had ever faced.

And that worried her somewhat.

It wasn't that she didn't have faith in his abilities, it was just that they had never been tested by an enemy of this caliber. "Please be okay Shiro-chan."

Using his flash-step Shiro appeared in front of the Arrancar, swinging his sword in the direction of his foe's head. Unfortunately the Arrancar managed to dodge the blow, although Shiro did see a couple of hairs fly off into the wind.

"Damn you boy!" the Arrancar roared, irritated beyond all reason by this brat. This fight should have been over by now and yet he hadn't even managed to land a single blow.

"Yea, yea," Shiro said, propping the blade of his sword on his shoulder and gazing at the Arrancar through cold eyes. A chill wind began to circulate as the young captain's reiatsu rose. "Let's just get on with this."

"Alright boy," the Arrancar snarled. "If you're in such a hurry to die then so be it."

Shiro sighed, irritated over this uncalled for banter, and rushed toward the Arrancar. He held the blade of Hyourinmaru pointed toward the Arrancar and, although the beast did manage to move, he felt the tip of the blade graze his opponent's flesh.

"Damn you!"

Completely unfazed by the sound of the Arrancar's screams, Shiro turned so that he was once again facing his opponent. This battle had been drawn out for long enough, as far as he was concerned, and the white haired youth held the blade of his sword up.

"Bankai. Daiguren, Hyourinmaru!"

The familiar white ice erupted from the hilt of his sword and engulfed his arm. And at the same time huge wings of ice grew from the boy's back, allowing him to fly through the air.

For his part all the Arrancar could do was stare as he watched the boy undergo this transformation. He hadn't expected for such a young Shinigami to display this level of power and despite himself the Arrancar felt a shiver run up his spine.

Perhaps this battle wouldn't be as easy to win as he had first thought.

But that didn't lessen his determination to fight. He would take the lifeless body of this brat of a captain to Lord Aizen and perhaps that would convince him to join their side and fight with them against Soul Society.

Now in his Bankai form Shiro once again launched himself toward the Arrancar, determined to end the battle once and for all.

By this time Kasumi had managed to destroy the Hollow that she had been fighting and was now able to focus all of her attention on Shiro. He had gotten serious, calling upon his Bankai, and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him.

"When exactly did he grow so handsome?" she found herself wondering.

Shiro was mere inches away from the Arrancar when he heard a voice call out, "Stop!"

Surprised by this unexpected command the young Captain of Squad Ten drew up short, his gaze searching for the person who had interrupted the battle. And in the split second that he took his eyes away from his opponent, the Arrancar disappeared.

Shiro swore in irritation as his gaze fell upon Heikichi. The older boy was dressed in black and carrying his zanpaktou.

And there was a strange look in his eyes as he gazed up at the spot where Shiro was hovering in the air.

Had he stopped the boy's fight with the Arrancar for a reason?

Shiro couldn't keep this thought from entering his mind as he gazed down at the boy whom he had gone to school with. Without the glasses and with his hair slicked back, he really did look eerily similar to Aizen.

But the young captain absolutely refused to let this sway his feelings about the boy. It wasn't fair to compare him to Aizen and Shiro refused to do that.

Heikichi would be either saved or damned by his own actions and not by those of someone else that had taken place before he was born.

No matter what he looked like Heikichi wasn't Aizen.

"Why did you do that?" Kasumi exclaimed, rushing over to the spot where Heikichi was standing with his zanpaktou drawn.

Instead of replying to this question Heikichi leapt into the air, swinging his sword in the direction of his friend. Shiro managed to dodge the attack and he whirled to face his former classmate, the tip of Hyourinmaru pointed toward the older boy.

"No," Kasumi gasped as she watched Shiro engaged in battle with a boy that they had once called friend. This couldn't be happening; she had been so certain that Heikichi was one of the good guys.

The sound of steel clashing against steel brought Kasumi's focus back to the two boys and she felt tears gather in her eyes. She knew how hard this was going to be for her poor little Shiro-chan.

And the worst part was that he was going to blame himself for it all.

"You have to get out of here Kurosaki," Heikichi snarled as he once again swung his blade in the direction of the younger boy.

"Like hell I will," Shiro said, blocking the blow with the blade of Hyourinmaru and then aiming a counter attack in Heikichi's direction. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain to me what the hell's going on."

Heikichi narrowed his eyes as he continued to fight the young prodigy that had been his classmate for several years. "This is much larger than you think Kurosaki."

Shiro merely growled as he pushed Heikichi back with Hyourinmaru.

At that moment a black hole seemed to open up in the sky. Halting their battle mid swing both Shiro and Heikichi turned their attention to this opening.

Yet another Arrancar stepped through this opening, her gaze going toward the two boys who were hovering in the sky. When her gaze fell upon Heikichi she bowed low and gazed at him reverently. "Lord Aizen, I've finally found you."

Shiro's eyes widened as he felt the surge of reiatsu caused by this new arrival. Her powers made a mockery of the Arrancar that he had just faced and he found himself vaguely recalling a similar reiatsu.

From Hitsugaya's past.

"Damn it," the white haired boy growled as he held up his sword.

A/N - hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	14. Betrayal?

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Fourteen - Betrayal?

The blond Arrancar glared at the white haired Shinigami youth as she stepped up to stand beside Heikichi. How dare this brat raise a sword against Lord Aizen. She would personally make him pay for this insult.

"You have signed your own death warrant with this act Shinigami," she said, her voice low and deadly.

Shiro was prepared to fight this new arrival, holding the blade of Hyourinmaru parallel to the ground, but he never got the chance. Heikichi glanced back and forth between Shiro and the Arrancar for the briefest of moments, seemingly sizing up the situation.

Then the young man used a flash-step to appear directly in front of his former classmate and, catching Shiro off guard, he used the hilt of his sword to knock the younger boy unconscious.

"Toushirou!" Kasumi screamed as she watched her best friend fall from the sky and land on the ground. Ice shattered all around him as his Bankai disappeared.

Kasumi rushed to Shiro's side and pulled the boy's upper body into her lap, cradling his head gently in her arms. At the same time she gazed up into Heikichi's eyes and she could swear that she saw the ghost of remorse in their dark depths.

"Why?" the young girl screamed out at the boy that she had once considered one of her best friends. How could he do something like this to someone who had once protected him? Shiro had saved his life more times than Kasumi could count and yet Heikichi had still attacked him. "Why would you hurt him like this?"

Refusing to answer the question Heikichi stepped over to the spot where the Arrancar was standing.

The blond woman bowed low once more, her gaze reverent as the youth came to stand beside her.

"We're leaving," Heikichi said, his voice commanding as he addressed the Arrancar.

"Yes my Lord Aizen."

The Arrancar waved her hand out in front of her, summoning yet another portal. Then she stepped back, allowing Heikichi to go ahead of her.

Heikichi cast one last look at the two Shinigami who were on the ground below him before stepping through the portal that the Arrancar had summoned.

"Heikichi!" Kasumi screamed as she watched the boy disappear, followed by the Arrancar. She couldn't believe that this was happening; she'd been so certain that Heikichi was on their side.

He was their friend.

A groan from the boy who was lying in her lap served to bring Kasumi's thoughts back to the present and she shifted her gaze to Shiro. Her best friend's eyes were clenched tightly closed and it appeared as though he were either in severe pain or experiencing a nightmare of some sort.

Kasumi's thoughts shifted to that horrible time when Shiro had been plagued by the memories of his past life and she desperately hoped that history wasn't repeating its self. "Come on Shiro-chan," she murmured, running her hand through the boy's silky white hair. "Wake up."

The boy's eyelids fluttered for a few moments before Shiro opened his eyes. Large blue-green orbs gazed up at Kasumi, a question shining within their depths.

"What… what happened?"

"It was Heikichi," Kasumi said, tears glistening in her blue eyes as she recalled the incident. "He knocked you unconscious and then left with the Arrancar."

Shiro's eyes widened as he struggled to sit up. He hissed in pain, grasping his head, but forced himself into an upright position none the less.

"Take it easy," Kasumi said in a soothing voice, attempting to get Shiro to lie back down.

"No," Shiro said, pushing her hand away and sitting at her side. "Heikichi didn't betray us."

Kasumi's eyes widened as she heard these words, spoken from his lips. This was the last thing that she had expected. Kasumi had been prepared for anger and for Shiro to blame himself for what happened but she had never dreamt that he would sink into denial.

"Shiro-chan…"

"I know what you're thinking," Shiro said, his blue-green eyes locked on the girl that he had grown up with. On his best friend. "And the thought ran through my mind as well but it was Heikichi's words that made me realize what he was doing."

"What are you talking about Toushirou?"

Shiro thought back to the words that Heikichi had spoken when the two of them had engaged in battle. "He was trying to get us away from this location. I think he knew what was going to happen and he wanted to protect us."

Thinking back Kasumi realized that Heikichi had seemed preoccupied during his battle with Shiro. And his words echoed through her mind. "You have to leave this place Kurosaki. This is bigger than you realize."

"So he was trying to protect you," Kasumi said, gazing at Shiro with a shocked expression on her face.

"Us," Shiro said, a far off look in his eyes.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Kasumi wanted to know. "He left with that Arrancar. We can't just leave him there."

"You're right," Shiro said, various plans going through his mind. "But I don't think that we can get the help of Soul Society either."

"But…"

"Think about it Kasumi," Shiro said, locking gazes with his best friend. "Heikichi left with her willingly so they'll assume that he's a traitor."

"I suppose that you're right," Kasumi said, realizing how Heikichi's actions would look to the Shinigami. "But do you really think that we can go to Hueco Mundo to rescue him?"

"Of course," Shiro said, a note of confidence in his voice. He sounded years older than he really was and Kasumi found herself in awe of the young man that she had grown up beside. "Don't forget, I have intimate knowledge of the place. And I know someone who can help us get there."

"Right." Kasumi was grateful that Shiro wasn't attempting to keep her from going to Hueco Mundo since it was proof that he respected her as a fighter. Not that it would have done him much good to protest. There is absolutely no way that she would ever allow him to go to a place like that alone.

"Come on," the white haired youth said, getting to his feet and offering Kasumi his hand.

"Are you sure that you're up for this right now?" Kasumi asked even as she accepted the hand that he held out to her. "You took a pretty bad blow to the head after all."

"I've had worse," Shiro said, absently rubbing at the bump that had formed on his head. "But I'm going to pay Heikichi back for that."

"Of course," Kasumi said, shaking her head as she and Shiro came to stand side by side.

The two young Shinigami stood and stared into the distance for a brief moment, each lost in thought. The road ahead of them would be both long and hard but both Shiro and Kasumi were determined to bring Heikichi back with them.

No matter the cost.

A/N - Here's another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. Please be kind enough to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	15. All Part of the Plan

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Fifteen - All Part of the Plan

Ryuu Tomori still hadn't gotten over the indignity of being kicked out of Squad Five and replaced by a brat. And, to make matters worse, that arrogant boy had actually threatened him. Him! He hated that entire family and had vowed that he would have his revenge.

Indeed he would have his revenge on the whole of Soul Society. They were all a bunch of fools and would pay for his humiliation.

This desire for revenge was the reason that he was now involved with a couple of undesirables. Tomori wasn't really their ali, but was merely using them to his advantage.

Using them for his own ends.

He'd invented a mission so that he could travel to the world of the living and, while there, he came across a group of very familiar faces. The man's eyes narrowed as he saw one of the Squad Five members and, holding his hands, were the twin brats of his former captain and vice-captain. The wheels in the man's mind began to turn, a plan developing.

"That's it," Tomori thought to himself as he watched the trio making their way toward the house that belonged to his former captain and his family. "The perfect way for me to gain my revenge."

Of course his main concern was that white haired brat who had taken his place and threatened his life. But his plans concerning Shiro had already been set into motion so there was no point in dwelling on it. This was a way to get revenge on the others who had wronged him.

Quickly making his decision Tomori used his flash-step to appear in front of the trio. "Hello," he said, feigning a polite bow. "Something's come up and Captain Kurosaki sent me here to retrieve the twins."

The man escorting Kaien and Masaki knew that Tomori was a former member of Squad Five. And, unfortunately, he wasn't aware of the circumstances surrounding his transfer to Squad Three, where he now resided.

So he didn't have any reason to doubt that the words spoken by the man were true. "Alright. Did you hear that Kaien, Masaki? Tomori here is going to take you to your mother and father."

"Okay!" the twins exclaimed in one voice, their eyes widening. It had been exceedingly boring hanging out with the member of Squad Five and the twins were hopeful that there would be something more entertaining to do in Soul Society.

Kaien and Masaki each seized Tomori by the hand and the Squad Three member had to fight really hard to keep himself from pulling away. He hated brats and always had. This brought back memories of those horrible times when he had been forced to look after Shiro while Captain Kurosaki tended to something. He visibly shuddered at the memory but forced it aside. This was now part of the plan and he would just have to deal with it.

Because it would cause his former superiors an untold amount of pain to lose all three of their children.

"You may go," Tomori said to the Squad Five member, making sure to keep the distaste from his voice. He didn't want the man to know exactly how much he loathed the brats who were now clutching his hands.

That was not part of the plan.

The Squad Five member bowed briefly before using his flash-step to disappear. Tomori waited until he was certain that the man was gone before he allowed a grin to spread across his face. So far things were going exactly as he had planned.

"Come along children," he said as he began making his way down the street. It took a tremendous amount of effort but he managed to keep the contempt from his voice as he spoke to the brats. However if they delayed him further then he might not be able to hold his irritation at bay. He still had a meeting to attend and, since deciding to take this little detour, he was running slightly behind schedule.

And he didn't want his contact to leave. They weren't exactly what he would describe as patient so the chances of that were fairly high.

"I thought we were going to Soul Society?" Masaki said, gazing up at Tomori through questioning violet eyes.

"We are," Tomori said, not even bothering to glance down at the girl. "But first there's someone that I have to speak with."

"Oh," Masaki said.

After that the twins fell silent, for which Tomori was grateful for. He found talking to the brats really distasteful and just wanted to get to his meeting so that he could get rid of them.

Tomori led the way to the outskirts of Karakura Town, with the twins tagging along at his sides.

"You're late," a voice called out to him coldly.

Tomori's gaze shifted to the owner of the voice. A black haired man, with a piece of mask on the right side of his face, scowled at the Shinigami from his spot under a large tree. "I got distracted," Tomori said, his gaze going briefly to the brats before they returned to the Arrancar. "But forget about that… tell me your news."

The black haired Arrancar rolled his eyes. "Arrogant Shinigami," he thought to himself, looking forward to the day when Aizen-sama would kill this pathetic excuse for a man. "They're on their way to Hueco Mundo as we speak."

"Excellent," Tomori said, his gaze narrowing as he thought about the white haired brat. This really was the perfect way to get rid of him; allowing the Hollow to take care of it for him. "I need for you to open a portal for me. The kids and I are taking a little trip…"

* * *

"Shiro…"

The white haired Shinigami turned to his best friend. He could practically hear the concern in her voice. "What is it Kasumi?"

"I know that you're determined to travel to Hueco Mundo," Kasumi said, her blue eyes focused on her friend. She knew that she couldn't talk him out of it, so there was no point in trying. But she did want to make certain that he had thought things through before making this decision. "I just hope that you've thought things through. We've never been to Hueco Mundo and you've decided not to tell the others that we're going."

"I know that he isn't one of them," Shiro said, shifting his blue-green eyes to stare ahead. "And I can't just abandon him." He paused for a moment, reflecting on the words of his best friend. "As for telling the others, I'm not sure how they'll react to the news that he left with the Arrancar. He could be labeled a traitor and you know what would happen then."

"I understand," Kasumi said, knowing that Shiro had always been loyal to those he deemed friend. "So how exactly do you plan on getting to Hueco Mundo? Your powers can open a portal to Soul Society but I highly doubt that they can open a portal to the Hollow realm."

A mental image of a blond haired man instantly appeared in Shiro's mind's eye. The young captain chuckled darkly. "That's the one thing that I have completely figured out."

Kasumi shook her head. "Of course you do."

A/N - hope that you guys enjoyed this newest chapter. And I'm really sorry that it took so long to update. I'll try to do better from now on. Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	16. In Hueco Mundo

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Sixteen - In Hueco Mundo

Heikichi was sitting on what resembled a throne in a large palace, unsure of how exactly he had came to be in this position. His motives had seemed clear to him when he had left with the Arrancar but now the boy was less certain about what he had gotten himself into.

"I can handle this," the brown haired youth thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists.

This thought was interrupted as Heikichi watched someone enter the large room where he had been left alone for several hours. It was the female Arrancar from before and Heikichi watched intently as she strode across the room toward the spot where he was sitting. One eyebrow arched as the youth watched the Arrancar sink to one knee before him. He had been shown nothing but boundless respect since his arrival in this place and yet the young man still hadn't grown accustomed to it.

"Well this is weird," Heikichi thought as the woman got to her feet.

"My Lord Heikichi," the Arrancar said, her unflinching gaze focused on the reincarnation of Aizen. She knew that the youth was reluctant to join their ranks but was determined to convince him to seize his destiny and become their leader. Because, with him, they would be able to succeed in bringing the inhabitants of Soul Society to their knees.

"Yes…" Heikichi was happy that he had finally convinced them all to stop calling him Aizen. That had been beyond annoying and he had actually threatened to walk away from this whole place if they didn't address him by his own given name. "What is it Solara?"

The blond woman smiled, loving the sound of her name coming from his lips. "We've learned of a group of 'visitors' to Hueco Mundo my Lord. I just came to ask what you would have me do about them? Of course one of them has been working with us but I would be more than happy to kill him if that is your wish."

Shifting his gaze away from the blood-thirsty Arrancar, Heikichi focused his attention on searching for reiatsu that shouldn't be there. He had quickly learned to pick out the signals of the various Arrancar and Hollow that called the place home so the young man merely ignored those reiatsu. Concentrating Heikichi searched for someone who obviously didn't belong there, expecting to find Kurosaki, however the young man gasped the second that he picked up the signals of the so called visitors.

He didn't recognize the adult Shinigami who was roaming around but the owners of the other two reiatsu signals were painfully familiar. It was Kurosaki's twin siblings Kaien and Masaki.

"Damn it!" Heikichi thought, getting to his feet and grasping the sword that he had placed beside his throne. Forcing a stoic expression on his face the brown haired young man turned his attention back to Solara. "I'll handle this… you go and inform the others that they are not to interfere in any way."

Solara was reluctant to obey this order but in the end Lord Heikichi's orders were law. She couldn't disobey, even though she wanted to. Bowing low she whispered, "As you wish Lord Heikichi."

Heikichi watched as Solara walked away, leaving his throne room, and then the young man rushed out. He knew that it was of the utmost importance that he find the Kurosaki twins before any of the Arrancar did. "Those two could prove highly useful…"

With this thought in mind Heikichi left the palace known as Las Noches.

* * *

Tomori wasn't enjoying this little trip across Hueco Mundo with the two brats in tow. The Kurosaki twins were incessantly asking questions about where they were and what they were doing and it was beginning to grate on his nerves. And making it more and more difficult to refrain from doing away with the children right now.

"You said our mommy and daddy wanted us…" Masaki said, gazing up at the former member of Squad Five through confused violet eyes.

"You lied…" Kaien said, his gaze uncharacteristically hard. "Where is this anyways?"

"Would you brats just be quiet?!" Tomori snapped, losing what little patience he possessed. He glared down at the two brats, who at least had the common sense to look afraid. "Ugh… I need to get this over with so I…"

But Tomori's words were interrupted by a loud roar that signified the arrival of a Hollow. Glancing toward the sound the Shinigami paled… this hadn't been part of the plan. He could negotiate with the Arrancar but, while this Hollow was huge, it was still just a stupid Hollow.

And appeared to be out for their blood.

"Kai…" There was a quiver in Masaki's voice and Kaien immediately stepped in front of his sister. Wanting to shield her from the attack that appeared imminent.

"Red Flame Cannon!"

The Hollow roared as something struck it's back and then turned it's attention to the new arrival. And froze, it's gaze focused on the lone figure standing before it.

"Leave," Heikichi ordered, his voice low and deadly. "Or I promise that you will regret it."

The Hollow just stood there for a minute, studying the new arrival, before finally turning tail and running away.

Once the Hollow was out of sight, Heikichi turned his attention to the trio standing a few feet away from him. The two small children looked scared while the adult Shinigami just looked grateful to be alive. "That won't last long," Heikichi thought to himself. "When Kurosaki finds out that the guy brought his siblings to this place. Although I think I should be grateful to him for that fact."

"You mean YOU'RE the leader?" Tomori's tone was shocked, there was simply no other way to describe it. He had never expected for the boy who used to hang around with Toushirou to be the leader of the rebellion against Soul Society… even if he was the reincarnation of Sousuke Aizen.

"Indeed," Heikichi said smugly, recalling this man from his childhood. "And you're trespassing Shinigami."

"I… I just…"

"Silence." Heikichi really didn't have any desire to listen to the man's excuses for why he was here. Nor did he have any intention of saving the man from the next Hollow that decided to attack. "Leave the children with me and get out. Go back to Soul Society where you belong."

Tomori's face visibly paled. Members of Squad Five had witnessed him taking the twins… if he went back without them it would be as good as signing his own death warrant. "But…"

"It was not a request." Heikichi's tone was cold as he continued to glare at the man. It was low to use innocent children to gain revenge and the young man honestly didn't care if the man left Hueco Mundo and met his death.

Realizing that he had no choice in the matter, Tomori turned and used his flash-step to flee the scene. This hadn't turned out at all the way he had planned and he was fully aware of the fact that he couldn't return to Soul Society.

Once Tomori was gone Heikichi turned his attention back to the Kurosaki twins. "Come along guys… we'll return to Las Noches and await the arrival of your brother. He should be arriving soon."

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	17. History Repeats

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Seventeen - History Repeats

"Shiro," Kasumi said as she followed her best friend down the familiar streets of Karakura. "Are you sure that this is going to work Shiro-chan?"

Shiro glanced back at Kasumi over his shoulder, a somewhat distant expression in his blue-green eyes. He had been lost in thought and considered it a lucky break on his part that he'd even registered the fact that she'd been speaking to him. But he couldn't help but pick up on the concern in her eyes as he gazed back at her. "I'm hoping that it will… but on the off chance that he doesn't want to cooperate I have a backup plan in mind."

Kasumi nodded, lapsing into silence at this point. She really wasn't all that surprised that the white haired captain had both a Plan A and a Plan B. Shiro had always been one to plan things out and he seemed determined to travel to Hueco Mundo in order to confront Heikichi and find out exactly what was going on.

It wasn't long before the two friends reached a familiar shop. The doors were closed but Shiro was completely unconcerned by this fact as he walked over to one of the doors. Reaching out he tested the door knob and, finding it unlocked, he let himself in.

The door squeaked as it swung open to admit the two teenage Shinigami and a voice from somewhere toward the back of the store called out, "We're closed!"

"You mean you were closed," Shiro called back, not halting his forward progress. There was a commanding note in his voice that he hadn't meant to use but he refused to apologize for it. "Now you're open. Get out here."

"Attitude problem and no manners," a familiar voice called out casually. "It must be Kurosaki's kid." A few minutes passed and then a familiar head of blond hair appeared around the doorframe. "What can I do for you Toushirou?"

"I need your help," Shiro admitted, somewhat reluctantly. He knew that Urahara had the capability to help him but there was still the chance that the former captain would refuse. He was friends with Shiro's parents after all and may decide that they should be involved in this mission. An outcome that Shiro was desperately trying to avoid. Mainly because he was fairly certain that both Ichigo and Rukia would frown upon his decision to travel to the world of the Hollow in search of someone who appeared to have allied themselves with the Hollow.

Urahara's interest was piqued as he heard this admission from the teen. Shiro had always been fairly independent, preferring to do things for himself whenever possible. Which to Urahara meant that that wasn't possible this time. "And what exactly is it that you need my help with?"

"I need you to open a portal to Hueco Mundo," the white haired youth replied, gazing at Urahara through unflinching blue-green eyes.

Now it wasn't often that Urahara was surprised by anything but the former Shinigami had to admit that he hadn't seen this request coming. He stared at the boy, trying to figure out what exactly could have possessed him to want to travel to the world of the Hollow. But the moment that the answer came to him he offered the teen a smile. "I see… and does Ichigo know that you plan to travel there alone?"

"I'm not traveling there alone," Shiro snapped, having feared that the shopkeeper would cause problems. He had hoped that wouldn't be the case but in the back of his mind he realized that he'd known better. Kisuke Urahara wasn't exactly known for making things easier for people. Quite the opposite in fact. "Kasumi and I are going together and I assure you that we're both aware of what we're getting ourselves into."

"Are you really?" Urahara questioned, gazing at the two teens with an intense look in his eyes.

"Yes," Shiro said, his voice unwavering.

"And are you absolutely certain that the person you're going there to save wishes to be saved?" Urahara asked, gazing at the boy so that he could judge his reaction to this question. He was fairly certain that the boy wouldn't be expecting it and that his facial features would speak volumes.

And he was not disappointed.

Shiro's blue-green eyes widened as he heard this question but his surprise quickly vanished. "Of course you know… because you know everything." The young captain took a moment to think about the question before he said, "I'm convinced that Heikichi didn't betray me."

"If that's the case then why not get help from the other Shinigami?"

A shadow passed over Shiro's eyes at this point. "Because I'm not sure that they'll feel the same way."

Urahara studied the boy for a moment before he made his decision. "Very well then. If you're convinced that this is the right course of action then I'll help you get to Hueco Mundo. Just know that once you're there there's nothing that I can do to help you."

"I understand," the two teens said in unison, both holding identical looks of determination in their eyes. Both had made their decision and there was absolutely nothing he could say that would cause them to change their minds.

Their course was set and they would get to Hueco Mundo with or without his help. It was just that with would make things so much easier for them.

"Very well then…" Urahara turned away from the two youths, gesturing for them to follow him. "If that's your decision."

As the two young Shinigami fell into step behind him Urahara led the way to the back room. Then, once they were all standing in the small space, Urahara opened a trap door in the floor which both teens knew led down to a secret underground training facility.

"I still think you have the weirdest basement on the planet," Shiro commented drying as he descended the ladder that led down to the cavernous space.

"That's been said a time or two," Urahara said once they were all three standing on the dry dirt floor of the training facility. "But that's hardly important right now."

"I know," Shiro said in a quiet voice. He fully understood what he and Kasumi would be up against but that didn't lessen his determination to go. He was convinced that Heikichi hadn't betrayed them and he wanted to save the older boy from himself.

"As long as you're aware of the dangers…" Walking over to a large device that looked like the frame of a door, Urahara held out his hands. He hadn't activated the portal to Hueco Mundo in quite some time but he was none the less confident that it would work. He'd built it after all. Muttering incoherent words to himself the former captain activated the portal, then turned his attention back to Shiro and Kasumi. "Now, you'll have to use your reiatsu to make a path to walk on but that shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Shiro nodded as he and Kasumi stepped forward, toward the portal that could possibly change their fates forever. "Thanks Urahara," the white haired youth said quietly.

"No problem," Urahara said, a calculating look in his eyes that was hidden by the brim of his green and white striped hat. "Just make sure that you come back alive or else your parents will kill me."

"Right," Shiro said before leaping through the portal, followed closely behind by Kasumi. The moment that they passed through the portal the pair immediately summoned their reiatsu, concentrating it at their feet so that they had a path to walk on. "You ready for this Kasumi?"

"Of course," the young girl said, offering her best friend a smile. In truth she was a little nervous about his mission but refused to let him know this fact. Because it would make him feel guilty for allowing her to come along and she didn't want that. After all, it wasn't as though he'd had a choice in the matter. And she had loved Shiro for as long as she could remember and would follow him anywhere, even to the very pits of Hell.

* * *

After a fairly exhausting journey through darkness Shiro and Kasumi emerged in Hueco Mundo. Landing lightly in the sand Shiro scanned the territory, searching for signs of the familiar reiatsu of the boy that he had trained.

But he felt nothing.

"This is strange," Shiro muttered as he turned to face Kasumi. "I don't feel his reiatsu… do you?"

Kasumi shook her head, a somewhat confused expression in her blue eyes. "I don't… but I'm certain this is where they were going. Perhaps they're hiding their reiatsu."

"That must be it," Shiro muttered. "But it doesn't matter… I'm going to find him."

At this moment a loud roar interrupted the conversation and caused both young Shinigami to whirl around. A huge Hollow was approaching them at a rapid pace, followed closely behind by a group of smaller ones.

"Tch," Shiro growled, reaching up and grasping the hilt of Hyourinmaru and drawing the zanpaktou from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. "I don't have time for these bastards right now. Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

At this command a huge dragon comprised of ice and water erupted from the tip of the sword. The dragon soared toward the group of Hollow, twirling around them gracefully before turning them to ice. Leaping forward Shiro slashed at the frozen enemies, shattering them into a million tiny pieces.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the palace of Las Noches, two sets of eyes brightened as they felt a familiar surge of power. Two little heads turned to gaze at Heikichi, smiles appearing on both little faces. "It's Nii-san!" they exclaimed in unison, recognizing the reiatsu signal.

"So it is," Heikichi said, a smile spreading across his own face. This was exactly what he had expected to happen.

A/N - End of another chapter and I'm sorry that it took so long. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	18. Trek to Las Noches

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Eighteen - Trek to Las Noches

"Shiro," Kasumi said one her best friend had succeeded in destroying the Hollow that had came to greet them. She tried to keep her voice steady as she posed this question to him, asking it even though she already knew the answer that he was going to give. "This isn't going to be the last time that we're attacked is it?"

Shiro shook his head, sheathing Hyourinmaru with one fluid motion. He heard the slight tremor in her voice that she had tried to hide and he felt guilty for allowing her to come along with him. "The first of many attacks I would assume."

"Great," Kasumi said, the sarcasm in her voice plainly evident. It wasn't that she was regretting her decision to accompany her friend to Hueco Mundo but she had to admit that she wasn't looking forward to the many battles that they would be forced to fight.

But even this didn't lessen her determination. She would follow Shiro wherever he chose to go, regardless of the danger that it put them both in. Solely because of one undeniable truth;

She loved him.

Kasumi wasn't entirely sure when her feelings of fondness for her best friend had turned into love but never the less couldn't deny her feelings for the white haired prodigy.

"My dad's gonna freak when he finds out," she thought to herself, a grin spreading across her face despite the rather dire situation that she found herself in. Owing to the fact that Shiro was a Shinigami, Kasumi was fairly certain that her father would make a fuss about any relationship that they may have, at least at first.

But that didn't deter her from wishing to pursue such a relationship at a later date.

"What are you lost in thought about?" Shiro asked, noticing the rather strange expression that had appeared on her face.

Kasumi blushed as her thoughts returned to the here and now. Shiro was staring at her with a quizzical expression in his teal eyes and the young woman found herself feeling grateful for the fact that, although he was a genius, when it came to romantic matters, he didn't have a clue. "It's nothing," the girl said dismissively. "Anyway, we should probably get moving. Before the next wave of Hollow decide to throw us a welcoming party."

Shiro wasn't even slightly convinced by her assertion that she had been thinking about 'nothing' but didn't press the issue. Perhaps once they had accomplished their mission he'd force her to tell him exactly what had caused that strange look in her eyes.

"Surely I didn't imagine it, did I?" the white haired teen thought to himself, glancing at his companion out of the corner of his eye. He didn't want Kasumi to realize that he was looking at her but couldn't resist.

Because she had confused him. Not an easy thing to do under normal circumstances but Kasumi seemed to have an infuriating knack for it.

In the throne room of Las Noches two small children were bouncing up and down, identical smiles on their faces. "Nii-san's here, Nii-san's here!" they chimed, their voices blending into one.

Heikichi nodded as he watched the Kurosaki twins bouncing around. These two small children had been the first to recognize the massive reiatsu that had invaded Hueco Mundo, a fact that had came as something of a shock to the young man. He hadn't expected for Shiro's siblings to be so advanced at such a young age although in hindsight he wasn't exactly sure WHY he hadn't expected it.

After all he'd seen what their parents were capable of.

Which was one of the major reasons why he had allowed the man who had kidnapped the twins to leave unharmed. It was a far worse fate in store for him upon his return, whether he chose to go to Soul Society or the world of the living.

"Stupid bastard's going to pay for his cowardly use of small children," the young man thought to himself, a slightly sadistic smile spreading across his face.

"It won't be long til Nii-san's here right Heikichi?" Masaki asked, turning amber eyes to her brother's friend.

"Shouldn't be," Heikichi replied, a thoughtful expression on his face. He had no idea how many obstacles that Kurosaki would have to face on his journey toward the palace but he was anxious to see how the younger boy faired. "Let's see how much you've improved Kurosaki," he thought to himself, a gleam in his brown eyes.

Having achieved the rank of captain, Heikichi was well aware that the white haired youth's skills must have increased considerably and he actually found himself anxious to see what Kurosaki was capable of.

"My Lord Heikichi…"

The brown haired youth had been expecting this intrusion and he glanced up as Solara once again entered his throne room. He arched a brow questioningly as she walked toward him before sinking to her knees in a low bow. "What is it?" he questioned, even though he already knew what she was here to tell him.

This had to do with Kurosaki, without a doubt.

"Yet more intruders have found their way into Hueco Mundo," she informed her master, getting to her feet and gazing at Heikichi. Her gaze briefly flashed to the twins before she shrugged off their presence as unimportant. It was clear that she was seeking permission to deal with the problem.

"I am aware," Heikichi said, his voice calm and collected. He gazed at his subordinate for a moment before speaking again. "I won't forbid you from engaging them in battle. Do what you have to do."

A light shone in Solara's eyes as she received this bit of permission from her master. She had been afraid that he would forbid them from attacking these intruders as well but was grateful that this wasn't the case. "Thank you my lord. They shall be dealt with immediately."

Heikichi nodded, watching as the Espada turned and exited his throne room. Then, once she was gone, his gaze once again shifted to the twins who were standing together a few feet away. Kaien and Masaki seemed unaware that their brother and his best friend were the intruders of which he spoke. Both still held excited expressions on their faces, oblivious to the danger that their older brother faced.

"And all because he has this incessant need to save everyone," Heikichi thought to himself as he sat down on his throne. Gazing at the far wall he pressed a button on the arm rest of the throne, causing a large screen to descend from the ceiling.

"This should be entertaining…" he mused.

Shiro and Kasumi traveled in silence for awhile, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. This was interrupted however as they were surrounded by yet another group of Hollow. The white haired captain made a move to grab his zanpaktou but didn't get the chance to draw Hyourinmaru. In a blur Kasumi leapt past him, releasing her own sword before her companion and superior even had the chance.

The moment that she held the bow in her hands Kasumi began to systematically execute the Hollow. The reiatsu arrows flew through the air at a blinding pace, followed by the cries of the Hollow as they fell.

"That was impressive," Shiro commented once Kasumi had taken care of the enemies. She offered him a smug look as she made her way back to his side however it faltered as she heard the sound of someone else.

"Impressive indeed. But let's see how well you fair against a more worthy opponent."

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed!


	19. Sizing up the Opponents

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Nineteen - Sizing up the Opponents

The voice that called out to them was a familiar and at the same time completely unwelcome one. Turning his attention to the blond woman that he had already faced once before Shiro narrowed his teal eyes, more than a little irritated with her arrival. Because he knew without a doubt that she was going to interfere with his self appointed task of returning Heikichi to the place where he belonged. Gripping Hyourinmaru he spoke, his tone calm despite everything. "Stand aside and allow us to pass. I have no reason to fight you."

Despite the fact that he was a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and she was an Arrancar, Shiro really had more important things on his mind. Plus there was the fact that no one from Soul Society even knew he was here so he was under no obligation to become involved in any unnecessary fights.

All he wanted to do was find Heikichi and knock some sense into him.

Gazing at the white haired youth as though thinking that he had lost his mind Solara couldn't help but laugh. It was utterly ludicrous that he actually seemed to expect for her to simply step aside and allow him to pass. Allow him to make his way toward the fortress where her lord was staying. "That is the stupidest thing that I've ever heard," the woman said, shaking her head as she gazed into Shiro's teal eyes. "I mean I realize that you're a Shinigami but damn… I thought you'd at least be a little smarter than that."

Shiro scoffed at her words, growing more impatient the longer that he was forced to wait. Increasing the pressure of his grip around the hilt of Hyourinmaru the teen narrowed his eyes. "I was giving you the opportunity to escape this place… but now the time for stupid and pointless conversation has ended."

"My but you're certainly an arrogant little thing," Solara said, a light shining in her eyes as she stared at the youth. This was her opportunity to prove to Lord Heikichi exactly how useful she was… and that with her strength and him as their leader they stood a real chance of bringing about an end to Soul Society once and for all. "Of course all that arrogance is going to do is ensure our victory."

"You can think that if you want," Shiro said, weary of the talk. "It won't change the outcome of this battle."

"In that respect you are one hundred percent correct." This said Solara gestured with her right hand and, within seconds, was surrounded by several other Arrancar. "Before I waste my time on you child you must prove that you are indeed worthy. If you can hold your own against my Fraccion then I will deem you a worthy adversary."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Kasumi said, holding up her bow as the other Arrancar arrived on the scene. Things just kept going from bad to worse and she wasn't exactly looking forward to the fight that was about to break out. Shiro had always been a magnet for trouble, for as long as she had known him, but this was definitely taking that to a whole new extreme.

For a moment Solara regarded Shiro's companion before shaking her head and making it clear that she didn't deem the girl much of a threat. And therefore completely unworthy of her attention. "Feel free to help him if that is your desire little girl… but it isn't going to make a difference."

"That's what you think," Kasumi said, narrowing her eyes at the Espada. She wasn't at all offended by the fact that she wasn't viewed as a threat… that would merely work to her advantage during the battle. Her training with her father had taught her not to take anything said in battle personally and to take full advantage of being underestimated. Far from being put off when her opponents didn't think much of her Kasumi actually preferred for that to be the case.

Because they never saw the blow that killed them coming.

* * *

"What's goin' on?" Masaki asked as she gazed up at the screen through large violet eyes. She didn't like the fact that her brother and his friend were currently surrounded by people who looked rather angry with them. Even at her young age the girl realized that this signaled trouble. Turning around she stared up at Heikichi with something of a pleading expression. As though waiting for him to stop the fight or at least do something to help Shiro. "They aren't going to hurt Nii-san are they?"

Heikichi's attention had been locked onto the screen, where his friend and rival was squaring off against Solara and her minions. It shifted however as he heard this soft and somewhat tremulous voice speaking to him. Gazing down he saw that Kurosaki's little sister was staring up at him through wide violet eyes.

"What are they doing?" Kaien asked, coming to stand beside his sister and taking her hand.

Hand in hand the twins stood, gazing up at Heikichi as though demanding an answer of him. They knew that the older boy was a friend of their brother's and thus wanted to know why he was just sitting around and allowing something like this to happen. It was true that they were young but this didn't make any sense to them.

Thinking fast Heikichi came up with what he hoped would be a satisfactory explanation for what was going on outside of Las Noches. "It's just a game little ones. You're Nii-san isn't in any real danger, I promise."

For a moment two sets of inquisitive eyes gazed up at Heikichi, as though attempting to detect a lie. But then the twins abruptly broke into smiles, their gazes shifting back up to the screen. "Okay!" they said in unison, completely believing the lie that Heikichi had told them.

Sighing in relief, grateful that they had accepted his lie so easily, Heikichi turned his attention back to the screen. The dark haired youth was well aware of the fact that his lie would be revealed soon enough but he would address that when it became an issue.

Until then he was content to watch the scene that was unfolding… anxious to see exactly how much Kurosaki's skills had increased.

* * *

"This is going to be a rather short lived battle," Solara said, her voice taunting as she stepped back and prepared to unleash her Fraccion on the pair of Shinigami who had dared come to Hueco Mundo. They would soon lament this error in judgment, if only for a little while. After that they would lament no more because they would be dead.

Ignoring the taunt both Shiro and Kasumi prepared for the impending attack.

Waving her hand dismissively Solara said, "Do with them as you please."

This was all the permission that the Fraccion required. Holding up their various weapons they all rushed forward, intent upon dispatching the pair of intruding Shinigami.

"Shall we?" Shiro said, his gaze going briefly to his companion, who nodded. "Let's shall."

A/N - End of another chapter and the battle is about to ensue. Hope that you enjoyed.


	20. Vicious Battles

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach nor any of the characters; the OCs are mine, however.

Chapter Twenty - Vicious Battle

As the first of the Fraccion rushed forward Kasumi took aim with her bow. This Zanpaktou was wholly unlike any other in Hueco Mundo and marked her as different among other Shinigami. It was the proof positive that she had kept her Quincy powers even after death, which had previously been thought impossible. Raising her reiatsu level Kasumi summoned several arrows, which she fired all at once.

In warning.

Solara gazed at the girl as she felt Kasumi's reiatsu level rise, somewhat taken off guard by the magnitude of her power. She had done a good job of concealing it but the Espada still wasn't worried about the outcome of the battle. The two Shinigami may be more powerful than she had first thought but that didn't mean that they were a match for her Fraccion. Let alone standing any sort of chance against her personally. "You may last a little longer than I first thought," she conceded as she watched her Fraccion dodge the reiatsu arrows that had been fired at them. "But the outcome will still be the same."

"You're delusional," Kasumi said, summoning another arrow and pulling it back. The first shots that she had fired had been meant as a warning; the next one was meant to destroy.

"You're the one who is fighting under a delusion little girl," Solara stated firmly, her narrow eyed gaze shifting back and forth between the two of them. There was just no way that they would be able to hold their own against her Fraccion, no matter how powerful they were. And there was also the fact that Shinigami had the annoying habit of thinking that they were stronger than they actually were.

"It's such a shame that you underestimate us," Shiro stated calmly, his teal eyes gazing around at the Fraccion for a moment before returning to Solara. She was the one that he was focused on though the young captain realized that he would have to deal with her minions before he would be able to deal with her. Holding up his Zanpaktou, with the blade tip pointing toward the sky, the teen released his sword. "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

A dragon comprised of water and ice erupted from the tip of the sword at the same time that a chain grew from the back of it. One of the Fraccion, whose mask appeared similar to the skull of some sort of lizard, rushed forward. Swinging the chain with one hand, Shiro used it to lasso the attacking Arrancar. The creature struggles against the restraining chain but was unable to gain it's freedom no matter how fiercely it fought. Raising his sword Shiro made a move to end the existence of this particular enemy.

"Shiro watch out!"

Glancing over his shoulder as he heard Kasumi's cries of warning the white haired teen was a split second too slow to evade the attack from an Arrancar that had managed to sneak up behind him while he was dealing with the other. The blades of the scythe like weapon that the Arrancar carried sliced his back, causing Shiro to hiss in pain. Pulling on the chain that was attacked to his sword the Squad Ten Captain used his captive to knock the other Arrancar to the ground, angry over the fact that he had allowed them to strike. Then, once the two were lying side by side on the ground, one still bound by the chain, Shiro swung his blade and unleashed the ice dragon yet again.

The frozen dragon swirled around Shiro once before flying toward the pair of Arrancar at such a rapid speed that it appeared almost blurry. Neither had time to react and were instantly frozen the moment that the dragon collided with them. Pulling the chain free Shiro used it to smash the Arrancar turned ice sculptures.

"Impossible!" Solara screeched as she watched the white haired Shinigami boy defeat two of her Fraccion. He had made it look effortless, which was something that wasn't supposed to happen. She had to win this battle so that she could prove herself to her lord.

She would not lose to these two brats from Soul Society.

* * *

"You said it was a game," Masaki growled in a low voice that didn't seem to fit with such a young child, whirling around so that she was once again facing off against Heikichi. Her violet eyes flashed as she gazed at the young man, looking betrayed. She had believed his words but people weren't supposed to end up hurt in games and she had seen that strange looking guy hit her big brother.

Had seen the blood.

This wasn't supposed to happen… nothing was supposed to be able to hurt her big brother. She knew how powerful he was, had seen it first hand. So why had those people been able to get the drop on him like that? It didn't make any sense and the more she thought about it the more upset the young girl grew. Tears appeared in her violet eyes as she shifted her gaze over to her twin.

"Yea," Kaien piped up, looking just as angry and betrayed as his sister. Reaching out he took Masaki by the hand and Heikichi gasped as he felt the rising reiatsu of the twins.

This was wholly unexpected and something that he hadn't figured into his plans. For a moment all the Lord of Hueco Mundo could do was stare at the two children who were standing before him, holding hands and surrounded by a very impressive aura. One was black, the other white and they seemed to intermingle to form shades of gray.

And the raw power that these two children possessed served to give Heikichi pause. Perhaps the plan would need to be modified to accommodate these children…

* * *

Shiro's teal eyes widened in horror as he felt a VERY familiar surge in reiatsu… a spiritual signature that he wouldn't have been able to misread no matter how great the distance between them. His eyes flashed as his own reiatsu spiraled out of control.

"That bastard has my brother and sister…"

Kasumi felt her blood run cold as she heard these words, snarled out in a voice that wasn't anything like Shiro's normal voice. And yet at the same time it was a voice that she had heard once before… a voice that sent shivers down her spine and caused her heart to pound inside her chest. Almost afraid of what she was going to see the girl glanced over at her best friend.

Shiro was surrounded by a vast aura and his eyes were a pale and malevolently shining ice blue… just like the time when he had nearly decimated both Soul Society and the world of the living.

"Bankai…"

A/N - Cliffhanger! Sorry about that guys but this was just the best place to leave off. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought… or just to tell me to hurry up and write the next chapter.


	21. Deja Vu

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach nor any of the characters within… this being said, all OCs are mine.

Chapter Twenty-One - Déjà Vu

Ice seemed to erupt from the hilt of Shiro's sword, wrapping it's way up his arm at the same instance that huge wings of ice grew from his back. By the glint it was obvious that it was ice but the color was all wrong, black where it should have been white or a transparent blue. Cold and calculating eyes surveyed the scene as Shiro was held a few feet off the ground by his wings. Power seemed to swirl around the young prodigy, sending a chill through everyone in close proximity to his location.

Even Kasumi wasn't immune.

Solara actually took a step back as she felt the tremendous reiatsu that rose to swirl around the white haired Shinigami captain. It was rare to feel such power in someone from the Soul Society, even if he was one of the highest ranked among them, and she was somewhat surprised.

Turning steely blue eyes in the direction of the assembled Fraccion, who had been brought to a halt by the unexpected surge in reiatsu, Shiro held up his sword. With one sweeping blow the youth brought an end to all of them, the dragon of ice that erupted from the tip of the blade jet black and sparing none in it's path.

All Solara could do was look on in horror as her subordinates fell at the hands of the young white haired Shinigami, frozen to the spot as she watched them die. This was the last thing that she had expected when she had sought permission to face him… had wanted only to prove herself to Lord Heikichi.

As the last of the Fraccion fell to his blade, Shiro turned his steely blue eyes toward the Espada girl. He spoke not a single word as he raised his blade, preparing to attack.

"Toushirou," Kasumi called out, her blue eyes focused on the face of her best friend. She knew what had happened, having witnessed it several years ago back when she and Shiro were younger and still among the living. He had lost himself once more to the memories and power that coursed through his veins… the knowledge that his siblings were here in Hueco Mundo had pushed him over the brink.

And now she wasn't sure if there was any way to pull him back.

The last time this had happened the white haired youth had nearly decimated both Soul Society and the world of the living, fought in a battle against his own father and nearly killed his mother before he had finally snapped out of it. And the events of that day had haunted Shiro ever since, not something that Kasumi wished to see repeated.

"Please Toushirou…"

It was as though Shiro hadn't even heard the words spoken to him by his best friend, he simply continued to glare at Solara. There were so many different emotions swirling in his icy blue eyes and it was obvious what his intent was.

He intended for the Espada to fall.

"I must admit that I didn't expect this," Solara said, reaching down to draw the sword that she wore at her side. Drawing the blade she held it out, parallel to the ground as she gazed at the Shinigami boy. "You're stronger than I thought… but still no match for me."

Shiro didn't indulge in the trash talk that Solara seemed intent upon instigating, staring for a moment before using his flash-step to attack the girl. She barely had time to raise her blade before he was upon her, the sound of steel clashing against steel ringing out in the still air.

Kasumi gazed on in horror as she witnessed the battle between Shiro and the Espada girl unfolding before her. It brought back memories of another battle and she clenched her hands together, wanting to interfere but knowing that doing so would be ill advised. It was dangerous since Shiro wasn't himself at the moment so the young Quincy Shinigami decided that she would wait for the opportune moment to try and talk some sense into her best friend.

As Solara blocked the first blow Shiro jumped back and, not giving her even an instant to regain her composure, he leapt forward again. Placing a tremendous amount of force behind this second blow Shiro almost succeeded in knocking Solara's sword from her hand. The Espada girl had to tighten her grip around the hilt of her sword in order to keep it from flying from her hand. This caused her to lose her balance slightly and she had to take a couple of hasty steps back to keep from falling on her ass.

Solara snarled as she recovered, initiating an attack of her own. She was one of the Espada… one of Lord Heikichi's strongest soldiers… so there was absolutely no way that she was going to lose to the likes of this Shinigami brat. That would be a disgrace that she simply couldn't tolerate, even for the few seconds that would precede her death should she fail in this battle. This thought serving to steel her resolve Solara leapt forward, swinging her own blade with a renewed vigor.

"You're going to die," she snarled.

Shiro merely smirked.

* * *

"Nii-san!" the voices of the twins called out in unison as they watched the battle from the screen in Heikichi's throne room. Their constantly changing power levels seeming to even out as they gazed on, confused by this change in their brother. The twins had seen the Bankai transformation before but it was different this time… more powerful and with a more lethal air about it.

Plus there was the cold look in his eyes.

This person fighting wasn't the brother that they had always known and Kaien and Masaki were concerned and a little scared. Hands still clasped together the twins gazed on, seeming to have completely forgotten Heikichi's presence. There power levels hadn't decreased but had merely seemed to have stabilized as they held hands and gazed at the screen, all other thoughts banished as they gazed on in expectation of what was to come.

Their thoughts were focused solely on their brother.

* * *

Solara's breath was coming fast and heavy, her strength exhausted from the effort of attempting to fend off Shiro's attacks while launching counterattacks of her own. Her annoyance level had grown exponentially since this battle had begun and, jumping back several feet, she gazed at the white haired captain through narrowed eyes. "I didn't want to resort to this," she said, her voice laced with anger as she held out her blade. "But you've left me no choice… I'm going to have to release my blade."

Kasumi's blue eyes widened as she heard this, though Shiro gave no reaction to the news. Both young Shinigami had learned at the Academy that the blades carried by hollow who were of Espada level were very similar in nature to the Zanpaktou carried by the Shinigami. They too had a second form, which increased the power level of the Espada, and it appeared as though they were about to find out exactly how true that lesson had been.

"This doesn't look good," she muttered, her hand tightening around her bow as she gazed on.

A/N - End of another chapter and Shiro made short work of Solara's minions, now it's on to the Espada herself. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, til next time I'm out.


	22. Release

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twenty-Two - Release

The news that the Espada was going to resort to releasing her sword to it's next form didn't so much as cause Shiro to flinch. He merely continued to gaze at Solara through cold blue eyes, waiting for her to deliver on the threat. The young Shinigami didn't even make an effort to attack the woman while he stood calmly, giving her all the time that she needed to call upon her blade.

Far from being grateful for this fact it only served to make Solara even angrier over the situation. This encounter wasn't going at all the way that she had envisioned. She had thought that the Fraccion would knock the two Shinigami around for a little while before she stepped in to deal the finishing blows. Unfortunately all of her Fraccion had been killed and now she was actually struggling against the white haired Shinigami brat.

Unheard of and completely unacceptable as far as she was concerned.

"I will not fail you Lord Heikichi," she murmured as she held up her blade. Calling out to her sword in a barely audible voice Solara was suddenly consumed by a bright light. Glowing wings seemed to grow from her back, comprised of bright yellow feathers that were the color of the sun. The hollow mask that was perched on her head changed shapes as well, growing to more closely resemble the beak of a bird of prey. "You are going to regret making me resort to this boy," she growled as she used her wings to launch herself into the air.

"Well that made them more even," Kasumi said in a quiet voice, her hand gripping her bow so tightly that her knuckles had actually turned white. "But there's no way she's a match for Shiro in this form."

Far from arrogance on the part of the girl, Kasumi only said this in regards to her friend because she knew what had transpired the last time that he had undergone this frightful transformation. He had taken on several high ranking Shinigami, including his father, and had nearly defeated all of them. The fight between Ichigo had ended before it could reach a conclusion so that one was labeled a draw but, according to those who had borne witness, Shiro had actually held his own against his father.

Shiro didn't comment on Solara's new form but merely used his own black ice wings to launch himself into the air so that they were staring at one another. Holding out his sword with the blade parallel to the ground Shiro paused a moment before swinging Hyourinmaru and unleashing a black dragon. The creature swirled around it's master for a moment before traveling toward Solara at a speed that seemed almost unreal.

Reacting out of pure instinct and little else Solara used her wings to block the dragon, which exploded in a spray of midnight black ice. Unfortunately, much to her horror, Solara didn't emerge form this unscathed, several of the feathers that comprised her wings now coated in ice. This served to make them heavier and harder to move but the Espada was far from defeated. Narrowing her eyes she launched herself forward, determined that she was going to end this battle before the brat had the opportunity to try anything else.

* * *

Hands still clasped together Kaien and Masaki turned their attention away from the screen that was projecting their brother's fight with the Espada. They had picked up on the increase in Solara's powers as she released her sword but even at their young age the twins could tell that their was a vast difference between her and Shiro. But even this knowledge didn't make them feel better about the situation since it seemed to have unlocked something dark within their brother.

Something that they didn't understand and that frightened them.

"What's happening?" they demanded in one voice as they gazed at Heikichi, seeming to have remembered the fact that they weren't alone in this room. That they were, in fact, with the person who seemed to be responsible for everything that was happening.

"It's nothing," Heikichi tried to lie, holding up his hands in a placating gesture that he hoped would serve to calm the twins. Because, while he was sure that with the powers of his sword he could beat them, the young man really didn't want to test that theory.

That and he was still content to watch the battle between Shiro and Solara. It was beginning to grow incredibly interesting and Heikichi wanted to see how it was going to end. The fact that Shiro's powers had increased to an almost alarming level could not be denied but Solara's were nothing to laugh at either. No matter the outcome of the fight the young man was certain that it would be something to see.

And he didn't want to be forced to miss it because he had to deal with a pair of small children.

"You lie," Masaki stated, glaring at the man through angry violet eyes. She didn't know what was going on with her brother but knew for a fact that it wasn't 'nothing' as Heikichi maintained.

* * *

Kasumi had to resist the urge to join the fight on more than one occasion but knew that Shiro wouldn't appreciate her interference. And it didn't really appear as though he required her help. Solara had been knocked to the ground by a fierce blow from Hyourinmaru and now Shiro was hovering over the fallen Espada, a cold expression in his icy eyes. There was no remorse contained within and it appeared as though the young Shinigami had no mercy to offer.

"Thousand year ice prison," he whispered in a cold voice, swinging the blade of his sword. Solara screamed as she was instantly surrounded by black ice, not even given the opportunity to react to or attempt to counter the move. Turning away it appeared, for a moment, as though Shiro was going to leave the battle at that but then, after a couple of moments, he turned and flash-stepped toward the large ice sculpture. Flying directly into it ice sprayed in all directions as the tip of Hyourinmaru collided with the ice within which the Espada was imprisoned.

"Toushirou!" Kasumi exclaimed, her gaze frantically searching for any signs of her friend. Unfortunately it was almost as though he had disappeared in the spray of black ice that was left behind in the wake of his attack.

"I've got to find him," she muttered to herself as she held up her bow and searched for signs of her best friend's reiatsu trail. She was concerned for her friend and desperately wanted to snap him out of this episode before it was too late.

Before the Shiro that she knew and loved was lost forever.

* * *

Heikichi actually gaped in surprise as he watched the fall of one of the top Espada. It wasn't exactly that he had expected Shiro to lose it was just that he hadn't expected the battle to be so short or decidedly one sided.

"I guess he really has improved," he mused to himself.

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed.


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